


UNOFFICIAL bootleg sequel to "The Test"

by KizuKatana



Series: The Test Universe [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Drunk sexual stuff, Holy Fucking Shit, I can't believe I am actually posting this, I make no promises, I might delete this 10 min after posting, Including Sasuke and Itachi, Itachi is a master planner but still messes up sometimes, M/M, Might feel like dubcon to some?, Multi, My first (posted) SIN fic, Naruto is extremely hot and everyone wants him, Sasuke is extremely posessive, There is drinking, UCHIHACEST - DON'T LIKE DON'T READ, UNOFFICIAL SEQUEL to "The Test"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-06-01 21:52:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 38,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6537610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KizuKatana/pseuds/KizuKatana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This fic was written as a birthday gift to Mykko_chan over a year ago, but I was too chicken-shit to post it.  It picks up where "The Test" left off:  Naruto has a one-night-stand with Sasuke back in NYC to determine if Naruto is really gay or just having bad luck with relationships.  When Naruto returns to LA and his job as a physical trainer, he can't get Sasuke out of his head.  No one is able to hold his interest, until one day, a new client by the name of Itachi shows up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The best laid plans

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mykko_chan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mykko_chan/gifts), [Tandy_Hard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tandy_Hard/gifts).



> This was a birthday fic for Mykko_Chan... since she loves SIN. And it was posted due largely to the encouragement of Tandy_Hard. Thank you, my lovelies. I blame this entirely on you both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by the lovely Tandy_Hard! Thanks, luv!

Naruto toweled himself off. He liked the appointments that were in the gym he belonged to, vs the ones that were in his clients' homes. Ever since his little 'experiment' while visiting his best friend, Kiba, in New York over the Fourth of July, Naruto had become aware of just how many of his clients were checking him out.

He pretended to be just as blissfully ignorant as before, but the attention bothered him a little. None of them held any interest for him. And not because he had decided he didn't like guys.

If only that were the problem.

No, the real problem was that, after his one-night-stand with Sasuke nine months ago, everyone else had lost all appeal. Women were too soft, both in form and personality. He liked the hard-edged acerbity of the dark-eyed man he'd argued with at the bar. The one who'd taken him back to the hotel and blown his mind.

Kiba had wanted to know all the details (well… not _all_ of them since he was a straight guy and still getting used to the reality of his best friend being gay), but Naruto had only said that it was definitely the best sex he'd ever had. Kiba had crowed in victory at being proven right and immediately tried to set Naruto up with a few people back in Cali that he knew who were gay or bi, but none had worked out past the first date. They just weren't what Naruto was looking for.

Naruto had gone to some of the more popular gay clubs, LA being just as open-minded if not more so than New York. But despite the vast number of physically attractive men who'd hit on him, there was no one who really pulled at him on the multiple levels that Sasuke had. So he'd gone home alone every time, frustrated at his inability to move on.

He had begun to worry that maybe he wasn't gay, or straight, but instead only attracted to Sasuke. Naruto had been trying to forget about him by throwing himself into work, taking on four new clients and covering for other trainers at the gym wherever possible.

"Naruto! My friend! I'm so glad I caught you before you left!" Lee trotted over from across the gym and Naruto managed to not flinch at the green spandex the man was wearing. He supposed he should be used to it by now. "We had a new client sign up today. He said someone referred him to the gym and recommended you specifically! I told him one of your clients had just moved to London and you might have space on your schedule!"

Naruto smiled at his boss' enthusiasm. It was pretty much impossible to stay depressed working for such an energetic man, even with all the green.

"Ok. Cool. Is he going to be coming by the gym for an orientation?"

Lee shook his head, pulling on his boxing gloves as he got ready to go work the bag. One of the main reasons Lee always needed extra trainers was that he didn't like to take too much time away from his own fitness regimen. That, and the fact that he tended to run all his clients into the ground (and sometimes the hospital) within the first week.

"No. He said he prefers to use the private gym at the apartment building he lives in. I texted you his address! He's willing to take your open Saturday morning slot!"

Naruto nodded. Saturday at 6am was always a harder slot to fill, since most people liked to go out on Friday. Naruto didn't have that problem anymore, so he was glad to have the extra hours. "Starting this weekend?"

"Yes! He seemed quite pleased that you had an opening," Lee said happily before walking over and beginning to systematically destroy yet another punching bag.

"Cool. What's his name?" Naruto asked, more than used to the overly-aggressive way his boss treated their equipment.

"Itachi Uchiha," Lee panted, the sound of his gloved fists hitting the bag ricocheting through the large gym.

Naruto nodded, the name ringing no bells. At least he wasn't someone famous. Those guys were usually assholes.

* * *

Naruto waited at the security desk of the new luxury high rise he had been directed to. The man at the desk checked the list of names of 'allowed guests' when Naruto handed him his ID. Looking the California driver's license over, the man nodded then handed it back to Naruto.

"The gym is on the third floor. Your party will have to meet you there to buzz you into the facilities."

Naruto simply nodded and headed over to the elevator. It wasn't the first time that he'd had a client in a place like this, so he was used to the drill.

He exited the elevator, following the discreet signs that indicated where the gym was. Everything about the building screamed 'high end', so Naruto wasn't surprised when he caught sight of the top-of-the-line fitness equipment through the glass wall as he made his way to the gym entrance.

What made him nearly stumble was sight of the man who was waiting for him near the entrance. The man looked so much like an older version of Sasuke that Naruto at first wondered if maybe he had found him, using a fake name to keep it a surprise. But as he neared the man, Naruto realized it was definitely not Sasuke. The man was maybe an inch taller, with longer hair tied into a low ponytail at the base of his neck. He appeared slightly older, with stress lines around his eyes. But the resemblance to Sasuke was still uncanny.

The man arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow and Naruto realized he was staring.

"Uh, sorry. I'm here to meet someone? I'm from the Leaf Gym," Naruto smiled disarmingly trying to recover from his prior staring, adjusting his gym bag over his shoulder. He didn't want to creep the guy out, but holy god, the man was beautiful. The simple black tank top he wore did little to conceal the perfectly defined, compact muscles of his arms and chest. Naruto was used to seeing cut bodies in L.A., but there was something about Itachi that made Naruto's hands start to sweat. It was the combination of the piercing intensity of the dark eyes combined with the lean, fluid physique. Naruto had sometimes encountered the first and often seen the second, but only once before had he seen them both combined so flawlessly.

"Itachi Uchiha," the man gripped Naruto's hand in a firm shake, his dark eyes intently focused on Naruto's face, as though waiting for something. Naruto felt the heat of every square inch of contact between their skin, his whole body tingling from the intensity of the man's overwhelming presence and he tried to keep his casual grin in place. He hadn't felt this drawn to a person since Sasuke. And just his fucking luck, he was going to be the guy's trainer, which pretty much ruled anything other than a professional relationship out.

"Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto refused to acknowledge in any way the electric spark of attraction that raced through his hand at the touch. "Lee told me you were looking for a physical trainer Saturday mornings?"

Naruto extracted his hand as quickly as he politely could. His body was trying to send his brain signals that he needed to be ignoring.

Itachi looked at him with knowing eyes for a moment, and Naruto suddenly wondered if he'd given himself away somehow despite his efforts.

"Yes," Itachi said smoothly, his rich, low voice making Naruto swallow. It was similar to Sasuke's but deeper. More commanding. Naruto surreptitiously drew a slow breath, trying to get his feet back under him. Itachi might remind Naruto of Sasuke, but it could just be that they both were obviously of Japanese descent. There were _lots_ of Asian-Americans, and they definitely weren't all related. Naruto was probably just being an idiot.

But he needed to find a way to get the question out of the way. Of course, he couldn't exactly just _ask_ Itachi if he were Sasuke's older brother. If he was, the first thing that Itachi would ask would be 'how do you know my brother?' Naruto was pretty sure that - ' _Oh, hey, yeah. I had this sleazy one-night-stand with your little brother and he rocked my world so hard that now I'm gay. Could I have his number, please?_ '- would not be a great conversation-starter. Naruto thought quickly and decided to go the indirect route. Sasuke had told him that all of his family lived in New York. If Itachi lived in LA, then that would rule out any relation to Sasuke.

"Hey, so, um… do you live here? Or are you just in the area for a bit?" Naruto tried to keep his question sounding professional. "Just trying to get a sense for whether this is just for the spring or if you are looking for something longer-term."

Itachi looked at him with those fucking _eyes_ and for a minute Naruto was completely sure that the man knew exactly what he was asking and why. But, of course, that was impossible.

Itachi turned and slid his key card over the electronic panel near the door and Naruto heard the soft beep and click indicating it was unlocked. With Itachi's arm stretched forward, Naruto noticed the black ink of a tattoo on the toned shoulder, a curved line with what looked like almost a scripted 'six' on top. Naruto felt almost light-headed as way too much blood rushed south in his body and he quickly averted his eyes before he embarrassed himself by actually getting _hard_ by just looking at his client's shoulder.

Itachi seemed completely unaware of Naruto's internal struggles as he smoothly opened the door, allowing Naruto to pass through before him. "I live here."

Naruto ignored the slightly probing look Itachi gave him. He figured he was still inside the borders of 'socially acceptable'.

"Just moved here?" Naruto asked conversationally.

Itachi pinned him again with a look that had Naruto tensing once more, for multiple reasons. "I've been doing business in LA for a few years. However, I just moved into this building. They only finished construction on the upper floors last month."

Naruto released a breath. That settled it. If Itachi had been working in LA for years, then he wasn't related to Sasuke. Naruto wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed. If Itachi had been related to Sasuke, then there would have been a chance that Naruto would have been able to see him again. But it would complicate the hell out of things to be this drawn to two people who were related to each other. Naruto realized that Itachi was waiting for him by the bench press and mentally kicked himself. Nothing was going to happen with Itachi _anyway_ , since the man was a client.

Naruto ruthlessly shut down all non-work-related thoughts about Itachi as he began talking to the man about his fitness goals and Naruto's own approach to working out. He needed to stay focused on the reason he was here: to help a busy man maintain his personal fitness and health. There was no room for anything else.

He was sure it was his imagination that Itachi seemed to be weighing him, scrutinizing him as he spoke. He asked Naruto some more technical questions about nutrition, metabolism, and muscle performance. Naruto hadn't gone to med school, but he took his job seriously and kept up with the latest information, separating the fads from the facts. Naruto was pretty good at reading people and he was fairly sure Itachi was used to intimidating the hell out of people. He knew he was being tested but Naruto just calmly met Itachi's appraising gaze and answered all his questions.

"Are we done with the interrogation portion of the program? I'd like to get you on the machines and see what you've got," Naruto said cockily, feeling a little bit of professional pride prickling at how much Itachi seemed to be putting him through his paces on their first meeting.

Itachi's eyebrows rose in slight surprise, and Naruto wondered for a moment if Itachi was going to fire him before they even started. Instead, Itachi merely stretched his arms over his head, dark eyes watching Naruto, using the towel to increase the stretch as he bent his arms back behind his head. "Fine. Where should we start?"

Naruto met his gaze levelly, using every ounce of willpower to not allow his eyes to drift down. He thought he saw a flash of amusement in the black gaze, but it was gone before he could be sure. The similarity of Itachi's expression to Sasuke's was uncanny. If he weren't absolutely certain that Sasuke had told him all his family lived in New York, he would have asked Itachi outright if they were related. But he supposed it didn't matter, either way. Itachi was a client and therefore out-of-bounds. Naruto would not make the man uncomfortable by asking him personal questions about his family.

"Let's get you warmed up on the treadmill. Then we'll see what we're working with here."

As Naruto turned to get his notebook out of his bag, he didn't see the way Itachi's eyes narrowed consideringly at him.

* * *

**Three months later**

Naruto looked at his watch. He had enough time to get something to eat before he was supposed to be at the Itachi's apartment. It had already been a long day.

With anyone else, he would have declined the request for an extra evening training session. An eight pm start time meant they wouldn't end until 10, and most mornings Naruto had a 5am session as many of his clients wanted to squeeze their workouts in before work. He wasn't one of those work-a-holics that could run on no sleep. He needed his eight hours.

But the man who was his usual Friday morning appointment had cancelled this week since he was out-of-town. Though if he were honest with himself, Naruto would have done the appointment anyway. Itachi was definitely a man that was worth losing some sleep over, even if all Naruto was ever going to get to do was look.

Naruto forced himself not to go home and re-evaluate what he would wear to his training session that night. He was _not_ going there to flirt. He would wear the simple tight T-shirt and loose sweatpants he always wore. Even if his client was hot enough to put a supernova to shame.

Naruto was determined to get over what he had decided was a temporary infatuation with Itachi. He knew that at least part of the attraction was the man's uncanny resemblance to Sasuke. The past few months had shown Naruto many differences between Sasuke and Itachi, but that underlying similarity between the two men was still there and it was messing with his head. There were nights when he would wake up sweating through his twisted sheets from shadowy dreams involving Sasuke that then shifted to Itachi. It was driving Naruto _crazy_ and making it twice as hard for him to find someone he could actually _date_ instead of fixating on these impossibly perfect, unattainable men.

He had considered asking Kiba what Sasuke's last name was, but Naruto had promised himself that he would play by the rules when he had agreed to the one-night stand. He had told Kiba in no uncertain terms to not give any additional information out about himself before the whole evening had happened, so he knew that Sasuke didn't know his last name either.

It made the ending of it better, in a way. Naruto still could have the tiny fantasy that Sasuke had woken up, frantic to find him only to be turned away by Kiba.

It wasn't true, of course. Naruto knew that. A man like Sasuke wasn't likely to get 'frantic' about the world ending, much less the location of a past, probably long-forgotten one-night-stand.

But Naruto could pretend. Imagine that the incredible connection he'd felt with Sasuke had run both ways.

He wondered again why he only felt this sort of pull for two men he could never have? Sasuke lived in New York and was probably happily continuing to fuck his way through the gay club scene. Itachi was not only a client, but older and successful and probably would never consider dating Naruto seriously. Sure, they were both smoking hot (Naruto wondered, somewhat horrified, if he were developing a fetish for Japanese Americans and whether that qualified as some sort of reverse racism), but it was much more than just that. The more he had gotten to know Itachi the more he saw just how much he and Sasuke were alike in the things that attracted him. They both had a fierce intellect, coupled with a ruthless drive and dry wit. It all came together in a sort of magnetic, intense presence that was impossible to ignore. It was utterly addictive and enthralling to Naruto, and everyone he seemed to meet now seemed flat and dull in comparison.

It was so fucking _frustrating._

The more time he spent with Itachi, the more things Naruto discovered that he liked about him. There were a few times when Itachi had had to take a work-related call during his workout. The man didn't even break stride on the treadmill as he smoothly issued a series of complex directions to whomever was on the other end of the line. Naruto couldn't understand half of what he said, but there was no mistaking the tone of command in Itachi's voice, and it was sexy as hell.

Itachi usually chose to have the news playing rather than music going during his workouts. Naruto got the feeling that Itachi didn't really allow himself much 'downtime', and the multi-tasking was just second nature for the older man. The dry, cutting comments Itachi would occasionally make when some Hollywood socialite or posing politician came on would often send Naruto into guffaws of laughter. He'd look into the mirrored wall to find Itachi looking at him with amusement and a shadow of something else that made Naruto need to look away.

Naruto had thought he had felt the older man's eyes on him in _other_ ways a few times, but he had pushed those thoughts down as wishful thinking. The man lived in one of the most expensive parts of the city, in an apartment that could fit seven of Naruto's inside. He was brilliant, older, wealthy and gorgeous. If Sasuke was out of his league, Itachi wasn't even on the same planet.

But that didn't mean Naruto couldn't look. Itachi preferred to do a mix of free weights, light sparring, and cardio on the treadmill for his workouts. He typically wore thin, black cotton exercise pants that rode low on his slim hips and a black tank top. Naruto would watch the way the older man's toned muscles moved beneath his smooth, pale skin sheened with sweat, tattoo glistening. Itachi liked to be pushed hard in their workout sessions, working his body to its limit each time. The sight of Itachi breathing hard with his clothes clinging to his sweat-soaked skin was something that had been increasingly fueling Naruto's own sweaty dreams at night, leaving him feeling guilty and frustrated in the mornings.

There were times when their eyes would meet during a workout and Naruto would swear he could read lust in the man's gaze.

But there were two things that always held Naruto back, even when he had caught Itachi checking him out a few times. The first was that they had a professional relationship, and no matter how attracted he was to Itachi, Naruto took that seriously. He knew that there were some trainers who slept with their clients but Naruto had always looked down on them as unprofessional at best, and mis-labeled prostitutes at worst. He didn't want to be either one of those.

The second issue was that Naruto didn't know how much of his attraction for Itachi was displaced attraction for Sasuke. They were so similar in so many ways and Naruto felt a gnawing guilt at the thought that he might be trying to turn Itachi into a more conveniently located version of Sasuke in his head.

So he had kept things firmly professional, pretending to ignore any subtle indications from Itachi that things could be more.

It had been a pleasant fantasy for a while, but it had all come crashing down when Naruto overheard Itachi on his phone during their last session. The person he was speaking with was obviously his lover. And all the 'subtle hints' that Naruto had thought Itachi had been sending him were instantly reduced to the wild imaginings of a blond man who had simply gone too long without getting laid. Naruto had never been so grateful that his ethics had kept him from making an utter ass out of himself in front of his client. He could still recall the conversation with perfect clarity.

* * *

_"So you're finally going to come out and see me?" Itachi was speaking into the phone as Naruto entered the gym. The tone of voice that Itachi used was low and husky… not the one someone would use with an acquaintance or a business partner._

_A slow smile spread across Itachi's beautiful lips as he listened to what the other had to say. "Don't be ridiculous, Otouto. On your own, you would have stayed stuck in your tired little rut."_

_A low laugh came as evidently the person on the other end of the line said something Itachi found amusing. The sound of that laugh had Naruto nearly coming out of his skin. What he wouldn't give to be the person on the other end of the line. Naruto certainly wouldn't have needed to be convinced to come out and visit Itachi. He probably would never have left in the first place._

_"Well, if I hear you've been visiting the clubs since I've moved out here, there will be consequences," Itachi murmured dangerously. Naruto watched in fascination as the expression on Itachi's face briefly darkened, then cleared smugly at whatever the other person had said._

_"And since you've been such a good boy, I have arranged a present for you when you arrive," Itachi glanced over at Naruto when he said this, and Naruto wondered if he was supposed to leave the room to give Itachi some privacy. Something about the older man's expression gave Naruto a clue that this 'present' had more to do with what Itachi was going to do with his boyfriend than that he'd bought his lover a new set of tupperware._

_"No guessing. You know I won't tell you either way."_

_Naruto motioned that he would be waiting out in the other room, but Itachi had waved him to come over to the equipment. "I have to get going now, Otouto. My first appointment has arrived, and I don't want to keep him waiting. I'll see you next week."_

_With that statement, all of Naruto's daydreams had ruthlessly been introduced to reality. He had suppressed a sigh and gone through their two hour session, even more forcefully ignoring the considering looks the older man sent him_

* * *

After that call, Naruto had forced himself to pull back. Even though all of this fantasizing had been relatively innocent, Naruto didn't feel right about ogling someone else's boyfriend. He wasn't going to be 'that guy'. Still, he hadn't been able to turn Itachi down when he'd asked Naruto to slot him in for a Thursday night session. He liked and respected Itachi, and he would just have to keep his thoughts professional, as the man deserved.

But as he headed over to the apartment building, he wondered if maybe he should swap Itachi with one of Shino's clients. He hated to give the man up but he was starting to have a hard time handling how he felt about him. Now that he knew that Itachi was dating someone, all his hidden thoughts and emotions felt even more dirty and wrong.

Naruto took a breath, nodding to the doorman outside of Itachi's building. After two months, the man had come to recognize him, though it was the first time he was arriving at night instead of during the day. Naruto's phone buzzed as he walked toward the elevators. It was a text from Itachi.

_I'm running a little behind. Can you meet me in my apartment instead?_

Naruto swallowed. He would _love_ to meet Itachi in his apartment. But he wasn't sure it would be appropriate, given everything.

Naruto quickly texted back:

_I don't mind waiting for you. I can get things set up in the gym while you get ready._

Naruto entered the elevator, pushing the button for the third floor for the gym.

His phone buzzed again.

_No. Please come up to my apartment. 2301._

Naruto stared at the message for a moment. The doors to the elevator opened, and two people got on, clearly having just finished working out. They looked at Naruto somewhat curiously when the blond didn't exit the elevator at the gym floor given his workout clothes and gym bag. Or possibly they were noticing the deer-in-the-headlights expression that must have been easily readable on Naruto's face at the thought of being alone with Itachi in his apartment while he 'got ready'. Was Itachi going to be changing? Or finishing up work?

"What floor?" one of the men asked somewhat impatiently.

"Oh, twenty-third," Naruto said. The man's eyebrows rose, but he pressed the button.

"I haven't seen you around here before. You live here?"

Naruto looked up to see that the man was clearly checking him out. He blushed slightly. "Ah, no. I'm just going up to see one of my clients. I'm a personal trainer."

The man had his phone in a holster at the hip of his sweatpants and in reached inside the leather carrier and pulled out one of his cards. "I bet you're a damn good one. I'd love to hear more about your services. Give me a call anytime."

Naruto glanced down at the card to hide his annoyance. _Sasori Akasuna - Theatre Talent Manager._ It wasn't as though the guy had said anything inappropriate but something about his choice of words made Naruto clench his teeth. He'd met more than his fair share of people who thought 'personal trainer' was a synonym for 'dumb little fuck toy'.

"Thanks. Right now my schedule is pretty full, though," Naruto bit out, his voice tight.

The man slid his eyes up and down Naruto's well-honed physique and sighed. "Well, if anything frees up…"

Naruto nodded tersely, his jaw clenched, as the man got off on the eighteenth floor. Even though it was slightly petty, Naruto was glad he lived below Itachi. The higher up the apartment was, the more expensive and 'exclusive' it was thought to be. Itachi was way better than that guy, and Naruto felt foolishly vindicated by the relative status in the building hierarchy.

He rolled his eyes at his own ridiculous thinking, and went back to focusing on what he was going to do with himself while Itachi got ready. Maybe they could just reschedule?

Naruto exited the elevator at the 23rd floor, looking up and down the spacious hallway, noting the tasteful lights and carpeting.

There appeared to only be three apartments on this floor, meaning they were all huge. Naruto looked at the numbers and quickly found 2301.

Drawing a nervous breath, he went and pressed the buzzer below the number. It wasn't long before the door opened. Itachi stood there, clearly still dressed for work in a dark suit, crisp white shirt and blood red tie. His hair was pulled back in its usual ponytail, but the effect was even more overwhelming when paired with a high-end suit rather than with casual clothing.

Naruto was glad that he had braced himself for something like this or he was pretty sure he would be drooling. It didn't help that he knew the body under that suit was cut just as perfectly as the expensive clothes that covered it.

Naruto blinked, forcing himself to stop staring and gave Itachi a lopsided grin. "You'll probably want to ditch the suit if we're going to work out."

Itachi raised a perfectly arched eyebrow and Naruto realized he might have put a little more innuendo into the joke than he should have. He could feel his cheekbones heating under the steady gaze of the black eyes.

"I mean… I just meant that you should change into your workout clothes. Or we could reschedule. If this is a bad time," Naruto snapped his mouth closed, realizing he was starting to babble.

There was something even more disconcerting than usual about the calm gaze of this man in his apartment. The tasteful, elegantly masculine décor seemed to only enhance the tightly leashed power of the man. Looking at Itachi, Naruto realized he was definitely in over his head. He should have insisted on waiting in the gym. He'd call Lee first thing on Monday to swap clients. He couldn't handle this anymore.

"You look nervous, Naruto. Anything wrong?" Itachi asked while slowly undoing the knot in his tie.

Naruto averted his gaze from the sight so quickly he almost pulled a muscle in his neck. Despite the fact that he'd seen Itachi wearing significantly less clothing, there was something incredibly erotic about watching the man remove his tie.

"Uh… no. I was just thinking that maybe we should reschedule. You clearly had a busy day, and…"

"Does it make you uncomfortable to be alone in my apartment with me, Naruto?" Itachi's voice dropped to a lower pitch, and Naruto would have been lying if he had said it didn't send a rush of heat to his groin.

"Well…" Naruto hedged, not wanting to sound like a girl, but… fuck yes it made him uncomfortable. The man had a presence that was impossible to ignore. But he also had a boyfriend, Naruto reminded himself. "It's just… I don't usually meet my clients in personal settings." Naruto tried to sound businesslike, but the amused look in Itachi's eyes made him doubt that he'd succeeded.

"I see," Itachi said, pulling the tie free from his collar before laying it over the back of the nearby leather chair. "It's important to you to maintain your professionalism. I respect that about you." Itachi slipped off his jacket, laying it next to the tie before his fingers dropped to the buttons on his expensive dress shirt. The cotton was so fine that Naruto imagined he could see the shadowy outline of Itachi's well-defined torso beneath it. His mouth was instantly dry.

"Actually," Naruto said, turning to look out the large, floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the city. "I was meaning to tell you that my schedule has become a little crazy. There is another trainer at my gym, Shino, who is fantastic and would be a great fit for you. I'll set up a meeting with you next week so you can see if you like him."

Naruto heard the soft whisper of fabric, and wondered if Itachi were actually shirtless right now. He didn't dare turn around to find out.

"So you're saying you don't want me as a client anymore?" Itachi asked, his tone completely calm and polite. Naruto tried to bite back the disappointment that Itachi didn't sound disturbed by the idea at all. Of course, Naruto was probably one of a hundred employees that Itachi interacted with over the course of a week. It made sense that Itachi wouldn't care one way or the other about who his personal trainer was, as long as Naruto's replacement was competent. The realization steeled Naruto's resolve. He didn't need to torture himself like this anymore.

"Yes, unfortunately I… uh... won't be able to work with you anymore. Since you were my most recent client, it's only fair to my other clients that I let you go first. But Shino is excellent and I'm sure you'll be more than satisfied with him."

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin when a low voice came from right behind his ear. "I don't think you're letting me go because of your schedule."

Naruto froze, swallowing harshly. He could feel the warmth of Itachi's breath on the back of his neck and he couldn't quite suppress the shiver that raced down his spine.

"Oh?" Naruto said, not able to get any other words out at the moment. Itachi wasn't quite touching him. Not. Quite. But he could smell the subtle cologne the man wore. Or maybe it was Itachi's natural scent. Whatever it was had Naruto's brain basically shutting down.

"No. I think that you are attracted to me. But you're not the kind of man who would act on those feelings in a professional situation. You're giving me up as a client so that you won't have to feel conflicted."

Naruto bit his lip as Itachi's breath continued to brush against the over-sensitized flesh behind his ear.

"I… I never said that," Naruto said, hearing the thin denial and knowing it wasn't convincing either man in the room.

Itachi circled around to stand in front of Naruto, his bare chest tapering into a perfectly cut V at the waist of his dress pants. Naruto forced his eyes up, but was no less aroused by the intensity of the dark eyes waiting to capture his.

"You aren't very good at concealing your emotions, Naruto. I can tell that you're attracted to me," Itachi said, a small smile forming on his perfectly formed lips. "I wonder if you have any idea how attracted I am to you, though."

Itachi stated this calmly, not at all as though it had completely upended Naruto's universe.

But then Naruto's brain caught up with the moment, and his eyes narrowed as he stepped back. Itachi had a boyfriend. "If you are, then I hope you have enough principles to let me switch you to another trainer. Your boyfriend is coming to visit this weekend, isn't he?"

Itachi's eyes lit with amusement and approval. "My… boyfriend." Itachi seemed to linger over the word. "Yes, I suppose you could call him that. He's a bit more than that, of course, but I can see you haven't made the connection yet."

Naruto blinked, aware that Itachi was implying there was something going on that Naruto should have picked up on but hadn't. He hoped it wasn't some sort of lame way of excusing Itachi's behavior.

"Whatever he is, I'm not the kind of guy who would hook up with someone already in a relationship. Whether or not you are my client," Naruto said firmly. There was no hesitation in his resolve on this point. He didn't care how hot someone was. Cheating was something Naruto would never participate in. Not ever.

"No," Itachi agreed, walking over to the black granite kitchen and pulling out a pair of crystal tumblers and a decanter of what looked like cognac. "You believe in relationships."

The words were said without judgement, but they still made Naruto bristle. Echoes of his conversation with Sasuke trickled through his mind, bringing back the hopeless longing associated with the memory. But he had never discussed this with Itachi, so it was odd that he seemed so certain about how Naruto felt.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Naruto asked, his voice slightly confrontational.

Itachi raised a brow at the tone of Naruto's voice. "Not at all. Actually, it's just another thing I admire about you. That and your… open-mindedness about what can make a relationship work. For all people involved."

Naruto looked sharply at Itachi at those words. They had never discussed relationships at all... Naruto had always been careful to keep the conversation professional. "How would you know anything about what I am open to, or whether I believe in relationships? For all you know, I could be hooking up with a different person every night."

Itachi snorted elegantly, obviously finding the idea amusing. "You could if you wanted to. You certainly have the looks for it, though you seem relatively unaware of that aspect of yourself. But I knew within three minutes of meeting you that you weren't like that."

Naruto wasn't sure if he were being complemented or insulted. He always had such a hard time reading Itachi. The man had so many layers and facets. He had a feeling he could spend an entire lifetime with Itachi and still never know all of who he was. Naruto ruthlessly stomped down on the hunger that swelled in him to do exactly that.

He knew this was a fruitless conversation, and a pointless infatuation. After today it was highly unlikely that he would run into Itachi again. LA was a huge city, and they didn't exactly move in the same circles. But Naruto would say his piece before he left, for the sake of his own pride if nothing else.

"I've had a one-night stand. It's not like I'm some virgin afraid of sex without strings. But I want more than that. And it's no one else's business that I do."

Itachi looked at him intently. "So you've only ever had a single one-night stand?"

Naruto hesitated, then shrugged and nodded. He wasn't sure what to make of the pleased gleam in Itachi's eyes at his confirmation. "Yeah, so?"

Itachi poured the cognac into the two glasses. He pulled a third glass out, leaving it sitting on the counter, but not filling it. "It must have been disappointing, if you decided never to try it again," Itachi said idly, but his eyes were closely watching Naruto's face.

"No," Naruto said, then stopped. Itachi's eyes locked on his.

"No?" he questioned softly.

"No. It was… it wasn't bad. At all. But I just…" Naruto trailed off, not really sure what to say.

"You just what? You've already said that you aren't going to be my personal trainer anymore. So you don't need to worry about being unprofessional in discussing it with me," Itachi took a sip from his glass and slid the other filled glass towards Naruto.

Naruto eyed the drink, but didn't touch it. "I'm not the kind of person who can… do that… and not get… attached," Naruto admitted after a moment.

"I see," Itachi said, taking another sip. "So you developed feelings for this other person. Did you ever think he might feel the same way?"

The words cut too deeply, and Naruto finally took the glass he had been offered and drank a large swallow. "No. Definitely not. He was… very clear on the ' _rules'_." Naruto couldn't help but sneer at the word, showing for a brief moment his bitterness at his own stupidity. "I agreed to it. I don't go back on my word. But after that…"

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "You didn't consider trying to find someone else?"

Naruto glared at him. "How do you know that I didn't?"

Itachi shrugged a bare shoulder, and Naruto tried not to stare at the play of muscle beneath the pale, smooth flesh. He wondered what the texture of that pale skin would be beneath his calloused fingertips. Or his lips.

"I am fairly sure that you wouldn't have as much trouble fighting your attraction to me if you were in another relationship. You don't strike me as the type to stray and you already admitted that you never had another one-night stand after that."

The honest compliment in the older man's voice warmed Naruto a bit. A dangerous feeling. "Well, I… I went to some clubs, when I first got back after… after him."

Itachi's eyes narrowed and Naruto saw the pale fingers tighten around the glass. He wondered why the man was looking annoyed when this all had happened before they'd even met. And Itachi had a boyfriend!

"I went out on a few dates that my friends set me up on, as well, but there just wasn't anyone that I was interested in," Naruto shrugged, mildly amused by Itachi's pleased expression at his admission.

Itachi swirled the liquid in his glass, his eyes never leaving Naruto's face. "So you're saying you haven't slept with anyone since then?"

Naruto blushed slightly. He was not comfortable talking about this. It sounded stupid even to his own ears. "I don't see what that has to do with anything since _you_ are in a relationship. We aren't going to end up in bed together for a quickie before your boyfriend gets into town, if that's where you think this is heading. If that's all I was interested in, I would have taken your neighbor up on his offer down at the gym."

Itachi's eyes narrowed immediately. "Which neighbor?"

Naruto's hand unconsciously went to the man's card in the pocket of his sweatpants, but he decided not to tell Itachi who it was. "Look, it doesn't matter. The point is that I'm not up for casual sex. Especially not when someone is already in a relationship and it's not going to go anywhere."

Itachi eyed Naruto's pocket for a moment but brought his attention back to what Naruto was saying. "I would never use someone in that manner. I actually have quite a similar philosophy on relationships and sex as you, Naruto. I was at odds with my… boyfriend for a long time, because he had the opposite philosophy. He also was a bit more traditional in his views on potential partners, so it took an… outside interference for him to consider things differently and see me in that light."

Naruto grimaced and took another drink. "Well, you're lucky that you got him to change his mind, I suppose." Naruto couldn't help the slight feeling of depression that he had not been able to do the same with Sasuke. He almost wished that Itachi's boyfriend had not been able to be convinced and had remained an idiot, leaving room for Naruto. It just wasn't fucking fair.

But Naruto had learned long ago to deal with reality, not fantasy. He drained his glass and set it down on the counter. "Though honestly I can't imagine anyone not considering a relationship with you, even if he was straight. Anyway, since it's clear we aren't going to do a session tonight, I should go. It was a pleasure working with you, Itachi. Best of luck with your boyfriend and with Shino."

Naruto offered his hand to Itachi, hoping to draw things to a close in as painless of a way as possible. Itachi drained his glass as well, clasping Naruto's hand but neither shaking it nor releasing it.

"Naruto," Itachi slid a thumb over the Naruto's knuckles. Just that small caress had Naruto's dick hard and his knees almost buckling. He tried to pull his hand back, but Itachi tightened his grip.

"Please don't, Itachi. You have no idea how much I like you. And it's been a really long time for me but you're already in a relationship. Don't mess with me just because you can," Naruto didn't mean for it to come out as a plea, but he didn't know how much more he could handle. He knew where he stood on the issue of cheating. He'd never been tempted to cross this moral line before, but Itachi had him thinking things he shouldn't.

Itachi's eyes darkened at Naruto's plea. "You have no idea how attractive it is that you would deny yourself what you obviously want for the sake of your principles. How rare that is. You aren't the one in a relationship and as far as you know, you don't even know my lover. But you still would deny yourself what you want. Even while knowing you could have it if you chose."

Itachi's thumb continued its erotic circling on the back of Naruto's hand, dipping over the more sensitive flesh of Naruto's inner wrist.

Abruptly, Itachi released Naruto's hand. The blond nearly sagged in relief that the torture had finally ended. Anger abruptly surged through him, flooding out the lust. He glared at Itachi. "I never pegged you for an asshole until now, Itachi. For someone claiming less than five minutes ago that he valued relationships more than sex, you have an odd way of living up to your own standards."

Angry, Naruto turned to get his duffle bag from the floor in the entryway where he had left it. He wrenched it up and slung it over his shoulder when Itachi's voice stopped him.

"If I weren't dating anyone right now, would you consider a relationship with me?"

Naruto laughed bitterly. "God, you're a fucking sadist, you know that? I can't honestly believe you need the ego boost of making me actually give you a response to that. Surely you have enough people panting after you already. But fine, yes. Up until five minutes ago, I thought you were an amazing guy. Smart, interesting, kind, sexy. But after the last five minutes, I'd have to add 'sadist' and 'cheater' to the list. My answer is now 'no'."

"What if I'm not cheating? What if I know for a fact that my lover won't mind?"

Naruto turned to fully face Itachi.

"I…" Naruto considered it. He knew a lot of people were in open relationships. It wasn't his place to judge. The world had a lot of sadness and pain in it. If people can find happiness, then who is he to say what's right and what's wrong? But he still knew his own boundaries. "If that were true - and I'm not sure I believe that it is - then I would still say no. Maybe you're not a cheater, but I'm not the kind of person who can do an open relationship. If that's what you need, that's your business. Some people like variety and I'm not one to judge. But I like the closeness that comes from a real relationship. I wouldn't be able to let you bring random people home to fuck just to spice things up when you got bored with me. And I wouldn't want to be the one-night stand that you played with for an evening to keep things entertaining with you and your lover."

Itachi laughed huskily, causing Naruto to shiver. "No, Naruto. I would never use you as simple entertainment. Neither of us would. And I can assure you that we wouldn't tolerate casual lovers on the side either. We're both quite… possessive."

Naruto felt his frustration surge. "Then what are you talking about? Why are we even having this conversation?"

Itachi hesitated, and for this first time, it occurred to Naruto that the man might actually be nervous.

"I might have been less than honest about what I knew about you when we first met," Itachi began, cautiously. He poured himself another drink and Naruto could do nothing but watch as the man drained it.

"Ok…," Naruto said cautiously. "I mean… I know we never met before this. So… you know someone who knows me, then?"

Itachi looked at him a moment, clearly trying to decide how best to proceed. "Yes. Actually, you know my lover. In a way, you were the one who suggested that we get together in the first place."

Naruto wished for a brief moment that he could go back in time and kick himself in the ass for setting Itachi up with someone else, but he was too busy trying to remember any conversation involving someone who could even remotely match Itachi's description. He couldn't imagine any of his friends being in Itachi's social circles enough to have met him and he didn't talk about dating or personal matters with his clients. From what Naruto had observed, the man kept his private life _private_.

Itachi smiled ruefully into his glass. "I see you still haven't figured it out. People say we look quite similar."

Naruto looked at Itachi blankly for a moment, his mind beginning to form an idea about who he could mean, but that was… not possible.

Itachi chuckled softly. "Your face is so open… so easy to read. Just like he said. You know who I am now, don't you, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head slowly, but he knew it wasn't the truth. He _did_ know. It had been in front of him the whole time, but he just assumed it wasn't possible, because, "You live in New York. Not L.A."

"Why don't we sit down and talk. I think this might take a while and we'd both be more comfortable without you looking like you're about to run out the door."

Naruto slowly set his bag down, more from shock than any belief that this was a conversation he wanted to have.

"If you wouldn't mind removing your shoes, we can go into the living room and talk," Itachi gestured elegantly with his glass toward the teak shoe rack that sat off to the side of the door.

Naruto removed his shoes and placed them in the rack while Itachi poured them each another very full glass of cognac. Naruto followed Itachi into the well-appointed living room, when another thought occurred to him.

"So… Sasuke is coming to see you this weekend?" Something in him twisted at the thought of Sasuke being in L.A. He had wanted to see him again so badly. As long as Sasuke remained unattached in Naruto's mind, there was always the outside chance that they would run into each other again and…

But now, that was impossible. Naruto could never hope to compete with Itachi.

"Don't jump to conclusions," Itachi reprimanded gently, drawing Naruto's attention back to him.

"Well, what am I supposed to think? You're in a relationship with Sasuke. Only a fool would throw that away for… for whatever this is," Naruto gestured vaguely between them.

Itachi sat down on the leather sofa, his legs spread slightly, one arm casually resting along the back of the sofa. Naruto could see the muscles in Itachi's chest and stomach flex as he shifted on the couch. He forced himself to sit on the armchair across the coffee table from him, not trusting himself to be any closer.

The long-haired man looked at him for a moment, noting the choice of seating location and searching Naruto's face. "So it doesn't bother you that I'm in a relationship with my brother. An _incestuous_ relationship."

Naruto thought about it briefly, then shrugged. "I never had the chance to have a family. So I don't know how it's supposed to be with a sibling. The reason incest is considered taboo is because it increases the risk of passing on recessive traits and birth defects. That clearly isn't an issue with you sleeping with your brother. Unless one of you undergoes some pretty major surgery."

Itachi smirked slightly at the words, then sobered, looking down at his glass. "You truly are amazing, Naruto. When Sasuke told me about you, I honestly didn't know what to think. My brother generally has no regard for people outside the family. I was a little unsettled by the degree to which you were able to influence him after so short a time."

Naruto shifted, picking up the glass Itachi had set for him on the coffee table.

"Well, it got you what you'd been wanting, evidently." He heard the bitterness in his voice, but decided it was excusable considering he'd just found out that the only two men on the planet he had any interest in were dating each other. And that Naruto was the one to put it in motion. _Fan-fucking-tastic._

"He wanted to see you again."

Naruto froze, looking Itachi dead in the eye, wishing he could read Itachi as well as the man was apparently able to read him.

"You seem surprised."

"I… he told me he never slept with the same person twice," Naruto said. "Ever."

Itachi grimaced and took a swallow of his drink. "Yes, well Sasuke has always had questionable morals in that regard. Before..."

Something about the way he said it told Naruto that Itachi had hated what Sasuke had been like. Naruto thought about what it must have been like… to love someone, and watch them sleeping around with everyone but you.

"I'm sorry he hurt you," Naruto said, looking down into his drink. He was startled when a pale hand closed over his drink, setting it aside. Itachi knelt down between Naruto's legs, sliding his hand up Naruto's thighs before running his thumbs over Naruto's cheekbones.

"I am sleeping with a man you care about. The first man you've ever let touch you intimately. And you tell me in all sincerity that you are sorry that it hurt me to watch him sleep with other people."

Naruto turned his head away, breaking the touch. "Why wouldn't I? I don't enjoy the suffering of other people. Isn't that normal? Most people probably feel that way."

"No, Naruto. They don't," Itachi looked at him for a moment, his face unreadable. Finally, he said with a rough voice. "You really have no idea what you're doing to me, do you? It's hard for me to not rush things right now. You make it very hard to wait, Naruto."

"Wait? For what?"

"For what indeed," Itachi said, sitting back on his heels, his arms resting casually on top of his knees as he studied Naruto for a moment. "I wanted to meet you. My brother wanted to see you again. And I wanted to meet the person who was able to change someone so entrenched in his ways."

Itachi tilted his head to the side, observing Naruto. "My brother and I are very similar in some ways. The things that we respect. That we care about. That we are drawn to."

Naruto wasn't sure what to say to that statement. He supposed it was a compliment to be told by someone like Itachi that he found him attractive. "So you satisfied your curiosity about me. Congratulations?"

Itachi just shook his head, and Naruto thought he heard him murmur something under his breath but he couldn't quite make out what it was. "No. I am nowhere near done satisfying my curiosity about you. But we will come to that later. Let's just clarify where we currently are at the moment. You appear to have no issue with me sleeping with my brother. You have admitted that you still have feelings for him, and that you had been developing feelings for me until you decided I was a cheating asshole. Does that about sum things up so far?"

Naruto didn't really know what to say to that, so he just took another drink. He was pretty sure he had already agreed that he wouldn't consider Itachi a cheater if he were in an open relationship with Sasuke, but Itachi had also said that both he and Sasuke were quite possessive, so Naruto was back to not knowing exactly what game Itachi was playing here.

Itachi read the answer on Naruto's face and smirked. "Ok, then I would say we are progressing better than I had expected."

Naruto tried to think of where all of this was potentially leading. "Look, if you are waiting for Sasuke to come and thank me for hooking the two of you up and everything, you can just send me a card. I don't need to actually see the two of you together."

Itachi raised a brow. "Would it bother you to see us together?"

Naruto wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or not, but he'd reached his breaking point. "Well what the fuck do you think? The only two people I'm even remotely sexually attracted to are screwing each other. I'm not that much of a masochist, Itachi. You two are happy and in love and that's great, but you really don't need to rub my face in it. Not all of us have found their happily ever after, so just… thanks, but can we be done now?"

Just then the front door to Itachi's apartment opened.

"Itachi?"

Naruto's heart dropped into his stomach when he recognized the voice.

Itachi stood, sighing in frustration. "Otouto. I thought you were coming in on a later flight."

"I caught an earlier flight. I thought you'd be happy to see me, given…" Sasuke stepped into the living room and stopped dead when he saw the other occupant in the room. "Naruto?"

* * *

_To be continued..._

 

 ** _A/N:_** So... this fic will be I think 4 chapters long. This first chapter was REALLY long but I had to get to a 'reasonable' breaking point. The other chapters will vary in length. Since this was written for just a couple of people, it will take me some time to clean up each part before posting but it is fully written. I also need to decide if I am going to leave the SIN lemon 'as is' or tone it down because it is... possibly a little extreme. LOL. So it will come piece by piece but please let me know what you think! This is my first time posting a story where I have written Itachi in as a main character, so I really want feedback. I can't even tell you how many times I pasted this in then deleted it then pasted it in again and Tandy_Hard has been sending me e-mails telling me not to be a big chicken shit and AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH. You don't know what it's like to reveal all the pervy little secrets of your mind to the world until you write smutty fanfic LOLOL. (please save me).


	2. Confrontations

**A/N:  
** Holy _SHIT!!!!_   The response to this fic was AMAZING and seriously I don't even know what to say. I had thought very few people would read it, and that there would be a lot more WTF ARE YOU DOING comments.  You guys all rock!!!  I am so excited.  Though... I really half expect everyone to freak out with this chapter and the next one, but... *closes eyes and hits 'post'*  HERE IS THE NEXT PART  (be gentle... I'm fragile)

* * *

 

**Chapter 2 - Confrontations  
**

_Naruto's heart dropped into his stomach when he recognized the voice._

_Itachi stood, sighing in frustration. "Otouto. I thought you were coming in on a later flight."_

_"I caught an earlier flight. I thought you'd be happy to see me, given…" Sasuke stepped into the living room and stopped dead when he saw the other occupant in the room. "Naruto?"_

Naruto felt all the air leave his lungs. The man he had spent almost a year fantasizing about was finally standing in front of him, but not in any scenario that had crossed even Naruto's wildest imagination. Sasuke looked still had the coiled, intense presence that had drawn Naruto the first time he'd met him. He looked just as good as Naruto remembered him, dressed a pair of black dress slacks and a dark red button-down shirt. He seemed so effortlessly elegant. Naruto felt decidedly under-dressed in his T-shirt and sweatpants.

"Hey… Sasuke," Naruto said as he stood, feeling somewhat awkward. He turned back to Itachi. "You have company, so I should just -"

Itachi put his hand on Naruto's arm, keeping him from going, though his gaze was locked warily on Sasuke. "No. Naruto, we didn't finish our conversation."

Sasuke recovered from the shock of seeing Naruto sitting casually in his brother's living room enough to frown at that statement. "Conversation? How do you even know each other? Itachi, what the fuck is going on?"

Naruto shifted uncomfortably, clearly wanting to leave the brothers alone. Itachi sighed in frustration. "Sasuke. I wasn't expecting you until two hours from now. Naruto -"

"I'm Itachi's personal trainer," Naruto cut in, panicking a bit at what Itachi might have been about to say. Sasuke's eyes had narrowed at the sight of his shirtless brother resting a hand on Naruto's arm and Naruto could feel a slow build of tension coming from the new arrival. Naruto wasn't sure if the anger was directed at him or Itachi, but either way he didn't think a replay of what Itachi had said earlier would help the situation with Sasuke at all. The look on Sasuke's face was all dark possessiveness.

"Oh? And when did that happen?" Sasuke asked Itachi, his voice hard.

"Three months ago," Naruto replied, not flinching when Sasuke's dark gaze swung to him. He wanted to be sure all the cards were fully on the table. "I didn't know who he was."

Sasuke looked at him in disbelief. The Uchiha genes ran strong and any blood relative was almost instantly identifiable.

"I mean… I thought he looked a lot like you," Naruto shifted, feeling honestly a little exasperated with himself that he had written the resemblance off without questioning it further. " _Obviously_ , he looks like you. But I remember you telling me your whole family was in New York, and I didn't know you last name, so I just thought it was a weird coincidence," Naruto didn't know why he felt the need to defend himself but he found himself fumbling to get the words out before Sasuke could jump to the wrong conclusions.

"Oh, I'm sure there was no coincidence involved," Sasuke retorted, his icy anger clearly escalating. He set his bags down (which Naruto had barely registered he had been carrying) and toed off his shoes before stepping into the living room, taking in the scene including the two glasses on the coffee table that clearly hadn't contained milk.

"Are you fucking him?" Sasuke's voice was cold and devoid of all emotion.

"No!" Even though Sasuke's question had been directed at Itachi, Naruto was the one who answered first. "I'm just his trainer! This is the first time I've ever even been in his place!" Naruto felt heat surge into his cheeks, partially from anger and partially from the mental image that Sasuke's words had evoked. Itachi still hadn't released Naruto's arm and Naruto could swear his skin was starting to sizzle from the contact.

Itachi eyed his brother consideringly for a moment. "I offered to, though," Itachi said, calmly.

Naruto turned and gaped at Itachi. Did he not feel the absolute _killing rage_ coming from his little brother at the moment? What the _fuck_ was Itachi trying to do?

As though completely oblivious to the increasingly dangerous atmosphere in the room, Itachi continued. "Naruto said no. Several times, actually. Despite the fact that he hasn't had sex since the last time he was with you and admitted he was attracted to me. I told him you and I were in a relationship and he said he wouldn't sleep with someone who cheats. Or be a one-night-stand to spice things up for the two us."

Sasuke moved swiftly and for a moment Naruto thought Sasuke was going to hit him. Instead, he found himself jerked from Itachi's grasp and pulled to stand beside Sasuke.

"Don't touch him, Itachi," Sasuke growled. "Don't fuck with him."

Naruto noted that now it was Sasuke who wasn't letting go of him. He was a little tired of literally being jerked around by the two brothers.

"Look, guys. I don't know what the fuck your deal is, but I am going to leave now. You two can get caught up and… whatever. But I really want to just go home and get some sleep. Itachi, Shino will meet you next week. I'm sure you'll be fine with him. Sasuke, it was… uh… good to see you again," Naruto said lamely, wishing things could have been different. This was definitely not the way he had fantasized the meeting but when did real life ever deliver the fantasy?

Sasuke tightened his grip on Naruto's arm as the blond tried to head to the door. "Is it true?" Sasuke said, his voice low.

"What?" Naruto asked, feeling wary and a little confused. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Itachi smirk. That couldn't be a good sign.

"He said you haven't slept with anyone since me. Is that true?" Sasuke turned, pulling Naruto to turn him so they were face to face, with only inches between their bodies. Sasuke's dark, stormy gaze pinned him to his spot momentarily.

* * *

Naruto's eyes widened, looking slightly panicked. The blond clearly wanted nothing more than to bolt out the door, but something was keeping him where he was. When Sasuke had walked into his brother's apartment, he had expected to find Itachi with the bath drawn and the wine poured. It had been almost two months since Itachi had been back in New York, and Sasuke had been going crazy without him. His only solace had been that he was pretty sure Itachi was even worse off. So he had waited his brother out. And finally Itachi had called him.

After Naruto had managed to turn Sasuke's world upside down with the realization that he might actually want a relationship with the blond, Sasuke had been wrestling with the idea of asking Kiba to give him Naruto's contact information. But he just didn't know if he was ready for what he knew Naruto would need. What he would deserve.

When Itachi had noticed Sasuke's preoccupation after Naruto had left, he had slowly wormed the story out of Sasuke. Sasuke had hesitated to tell his brother about all the details of their conversation at first, particularly that 'joke' about Naruto offering to role play as his brother. He had figured it would only end up getting the blond killed if Sasuke ever did manage to track him down.

But after repeated attempts to get Kiba to give up Naruto's last name or phone number had failed, Sasuke had tried to just walk away from the memory and had thrown himself back into the club scene. If Naruto had been that adamant that he didn't want Sasuke to find him, then Sasuke would respect the terms of their original agreement and leave it be. But somehow, the old routine felt hollow and completely dissatisfying. He had found himself needing to drink more and more to even be able to pretend interest in any of his potential partners.

Early one morning when Sasuke had staggered home from the hotel he'd spent the later part of the evening in (and found no satisfaction with his chosen partner), Itachi had been waiting in his apartment. He'd demanded to know what the fuck was going on, confronting Sasuke about the downwards spiral he seemed to be in. Sasuke hadn't been in any mental state to hold back, so he'd poured out every detail of the evening he'd spent with Naruto, from the argument about relationships vs one-night stands, to the mind-blowing sex, to the comment Naruto had made about Sasuke fantasizing about Itachi.

Itachi's face had gone still when Sasuke had said that, and the younger man had been at first afraid his brother was furious. When he'd blinked and looked again, he realized that Itachi was… curious.

* * *

_"And what did you say when he suggested that?" Itachi asked, his voice calm, his eyes as deep and impenetrable as ever._

_"I…" Sasuke felt the weight of Itachi's gaze on him, making his head spin even more than the alcohol did. "I didn't say anything."_

_Itachi raised a smooth, black brow. "And was he right?"_

_Sasuke could only stare at his brother, amazed at how calm Itachi was being about this whole thing. They were BROTHERS. Sure, Sasuke might have looked a little too hard when he'd seen Itachi coming out of the shower or working out in the gym. But he'd always written it off as a bit of Narcissism. Sasuke and Itachi looked a lot alike. Itachi was just an older version of himself. So there was nothing wrong about looking. Admiring. It was just… vanity? And it was only natural that Sasuke idolized his older brother, constantly seeking his approval and attention. Itachi was good at everything. It was normal that - as a younger brother - he would fixate on his older sibling. Sasuke had never let himself think about his feelings for his brother any further than that. Except for that one night, when Naruto had brought those mental images crashing through his head. But Sasuke had chalked it up to Naruto's overall effect on him._

_But somehow, looking at Itachi, thinking about the strange sense of panic that had shot through him at Naruto's words, Sasuke knew that he had been fooling himself. He hadn't been looking at himself when he'd looked at Itachi. He'd been looking at his fucking hot older brother. He just hadn't wanted to admit it, even to himself._

_"Yes," Sasuke was surprised to realize that the word had come from his own lips. Lips that his brother was suddenly covering with his own._

_The feeling of Itachi's tongue sliding into his mouth made Sasuke harder than he'd been in weeks. Harder than he'd been since Naruto. Sasuke hadn't hesitated, one hand grabbing Itachi from the back of his neck the other ripping off the red tie that held his brother's in its low ponytail. He groaned as he felt the soft waves of Itachi's hair drift over him._

_They hadn't made it out of the living room for the next couple of hours. And the next day, they hadn't made it to work. Their father had been slightly put out when they'd called in sick, and they'd both snickered at what his reaction would be if he knew what the real reason was._

_For the next five months, they'd lived in each other's beds whenever they weren't at work, until Itachi had abruptly announced that he was moving to LA. He wanted to start his own financial company, and break out of the New York lifestyle._

_At first, their father had been angry at the abruptness of the announcement. But soon he became pleased with the idea that Itachi was showing such initiative and entrepreneurial spirit, not wanting to continue to ride his father's coattails. Not to mention Fugaku fully expected his elder son to help bring in new clients to their business from his west coast contacts._

_Sasuke, on the other hand, had been furious. How dare Itachi just decide to up and leave without discussing it with him? Did he expect Sasuke to just follow like some love-sick puppy?_

_Sasuke had stalked off, not speaking to Itachi for three full days. Itachi had calmly gone about preparing to move, not offering any explanation. Of course, one of the main reasons Itachi had not been able to do so was that Sasuke wasn't answering any of his calls or meeting with him in private. Explaining in the middle of the Board room that Itachi was doing this so they could have an actual relationship together and not have to sneak around so much would have been counter-productive._

_Finally, Itachi had reached his limit and simply bribed Sasuke's driver to effectively kidnap him one evening after work and take him to Itachi's place instead of Sasuke's home. During the car ride_ , S _asuke had - as usual - been busy going over documents for an upcoming deal that he was lead on and hadn't paid attention to where the driver was taking him. When he finally realized where he was, Itachi was already getting into the car and the driver was pulling away from the curb. Itachi had calmly explained that if they wanted to have any kind of life together that didn't involve constantly hiding from everyone who knew them (which was pretty much everyone) and if they wanted to do more than work a hundred hours a week for the rest of their lives, they needed to get out of New York and out of their father's sphere of influence._

_Sasuke had heard Itachi out (though he hadn't had much choice, given the whole 'kidnapping' aspect of the conversation), but hadn't said a word in response. He considered it to be a testament to his Uchiha genes that he was possibly the only person who could truly make Itachi sweat._

_Sasuke didn't actually disagree with his brother's logic. As usual, Itachi had looked at all the angles and determined the correct outcome. What Sasuke was pissed as FUCK about was the high-handed way Itachi had gone about it. This was a decision that involved both of them, and Itachi had no right to do something like this without a discussion first._

_So Sasuke had said nothing except to tell Itachi that if he had been hoping Sasuke was going to come WITH him to L.A., then he should have fucking discussed it with him first. Sasuke then told him that since Itachi clearly hadn't seen the need for his input on this, Sasuke would decide in his own time frame what he wanted to do. Which may or may not include L.A. London was also an option. Or Tokyo. Or maybe there were things in New York that he would miss too much to give up._

_He hadn't slept with Itachi again before Itachi had left, choosing instead to coolly bid his older brother goodbye in the office on the day Itachi had left for L.A, the movers already packing up Itachi's things, while Sasuke's remained untouched in his own apartment._

_Itachi had come back three times since then, trying to convince Sasuke to follow him. Sasuke had simply said it was one of several options he was considering and that he'd let Itachi know when he'd reached a decision. Itachi had lost patience. They'd been standing in Sasuke's office when Itachi had abruptly slammed the door closed and locked it. He had pushed Sasuke against the filing cabinet, pressing his body flush against his younger brother's feeling the way Sasuke's body tensed and heated almost instantly._

_"Have you been going to the clubs while I've been gone?" Itachi had spoken quietly in Sasuke's ear, but there was no disguising the hard edge of steel that underlied the words._

_Sasuke couldn't help the way his hips flexed up, moving against his well to feel more of his brother after more than a month apart, but Itachi had held his hips still._

_"Have you?" Itachi repeated, his fingers digging into Sasuke's hips, likely leaving bruises._

_"No," Sasuke had shaken his head slightly, his breath coming in rasps. "But dammit, Itachi…"_

_But Itachi was already stepping back. "I won't come back here again to see you. You've made your point, but now you need to decide, Otouto."_

_Itachi had looked down at Sasuke's perfect mouth, forcing himself not to take it._

_"But if you come, I have a surprise for you," Itachi said, a mischievous smirk on his perfect lips._

_Sasuke ran his hand down his brother's back, over his hip. "I don't think it will be that much of a surprise. But fine. We'll play it your way. I'll let you know by the end of the week."_

_Itachi held back the smirk. Anyone else would have folded, fallen at Itachi's feet to do as he wished. But not Sasuke. Sasuke faced him, looking to all the world to be cold and arrogantly indifferent. But Itachi could read his little brother better than anyone else. And he knew he had won. Sasuke would make him wait one more week, but in the end, his brother has already chosen to come with him._

_The moment also crystallized Itachi's decision on the matter of the 'surprise' he had mentioned to Sasuke. Itachi and Sasuke were Uchihas through and through. And while there were many aspects about that lineage that were admirable, there were also a few critical flaws. Flaws they both shared. Their relationship as it stood was volatile, and potentially dangerous. They were both too cold, too hard, too arrogant. The fiasco of how Itachi had handled the move to LA was just one example. They needed something to balance them out. Or - more specifically - someONE. Itachi had been curious when he had seen the degree to which a one-night-stand had been able to fundamentally change Sasuke on the two things that Itachi himself had been unable to for years._

_After meeting said one-night-stand, Itachi had a much better understanding of why. Now he just needed it to all come together._

* * *

Sasuke didn't break his gaze with Naruto. "He said you haven't slept with anyone since me. Is that true?" Sasuke pressed.

Naruto looked from Itachi to Sasuke. The intensity of their black gazes locked on him made his stomach tense. Partially due to nerves, but another part was something else entirely.

"I… don't think that is any of your business," Naruto looked at Sasuke, then shot a glare at Itachi. "Or yours. You lied to me for three months, then spring this shit on me out of the blue about having sex and -"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and pivoted to Itachi's. "You were really going to have _sex_ with him?"

Naruto had had enough. "No. Because it wasn't all up to him whether or not we had sex. I said no, though I doubt he was even serious. Look, I'm outta here. You two clearly have issues and… shit to discuss and I really don't need to be roped into it."

Naruto jerked his arm free from Sasuke's grip and turned toward the door.

"Naruto," Sasuke began, taking a step towards him.

"Let him go, Otouto," Itachi said, his voice resigned. "He needs time to process things. And he's right. You and I do need to talk."

Naruto snorted and only gave a half-hearted wave as he walked quickly to the door, picking up his forgotten bag and jamming his feet into his shoes before closing the door firmly behind him. He had felt Sasuke's eyes on him the entire way, and had known that if he'd turned around, Sasuke would have stopped him again. But he had kept going. He didn't even bother waiting for the elevator, but took the stairs, too afraid they'd change their minds and come after him. He knew his limitations. He had to get away and stay away from them if he wanted to avoid the inevitable heartache that he knew would follow if he got anywhere near either of them.

* * *

Sasuke had started to go after Naruto as soon as the blond had opened the door, but Itachi had crossed to him and held him back.

"You need to let him go for now, Sasuke," Itachi repeated. "If we bring him back here with you in this state of mind, it will only make things harder later. I can't convince you both at the same time of this. Though it would have been easier to have Naruto already in agreement before you got here, it can't be fixed now."

Sasuke tried to shake his brother's grip off his arm, but Itachi had simply tightened his grasp.

Sasuke spun to look Itachi in the eye. "When were you going to tell me about him? After you fucked him? Or not even then?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"Is he the reason you decided to move to LA? Is that why you didn't bother even talking to me about the fact that you were moving? Fuck, Itachi. I just sold my apartment back in New York to come out here, and _this_ is what I walk in on?"

Itachi didn't interrupt as Sasuke flung his accusations at him. It was rare for Sasuke to let his temper go, and Itachi would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy being one of the very few people that Sasuke cared enough about to truly get angry with. But the look in Sasuke's eyes showed the hurt underlying the icy anger, and that was something Itachi did not ever want to be the cause of.

"Is that what you really think? That I moved out here to be with someone else? After the years I spent waiting for you, surely you must know how ridiculous that would be," Itachi's voice was quiet and calm, seemingly unperturbed by Sasuke's outburst.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Then would you care to explain what you meant by telling me that you had offered to have sex with Naruto? And why you didn't tell me when you had found him?"

Itachi released Sasuke's arm once he was convinced that Sasuke was more interested in hearing what Itachi had to say than he was walking out the door. Itachi turned and walked back into the living room, picking up the two glasses that were sitting on the coffee table. He carried them over to the kitchen, where he placed one in the sink, the poured more into the second. He glanced over to Sasuke, indicating the third, clean glass that was still sitting on the counter.

"Would you like a drink?"

"Tch," Sasuke said, walking over to the kitchen and pouring himself a stiff glass before downing it. "So that's your answer?"

Itachi took a small sip from his glass, noticing the way Sasuke's eyes followed the movement of the glass to his lips.

"I wonder which of us you are actually jealous of. I saw the way you looked at him," Itachi said, taking another slow sip of his drink. "And I see the way you're looking at me right now."

"Don't push me, Itachi," Sasuke growled, pouring himself another drink. "We've been dancing around for two months. You told me you didn't want me to go to the clubs. You told me you wanted me to give up my job and move out here with you. You've had this whole thing your fucking way, and now you're playing games like this. You're lucky I didn't kick your ass as soon as I walked in the door." Sasuke finished the second drink, earning a sharp look from Itachi.

"Slow down. I have plans for tonight that don't involve you passed out on the sofa."

Sasuke gave a short bark of laughter. "You really think I'm going to let you fuck me tonight after _this_?"

Itachi set his half-finished drink down and looked at his brother consideringly. "Are you telling me I should call Naruto back here instead? If so, would I be calling him for me or for you?"

Sasuke felt his temper reach its breaking point. He had been angry with Itachi ever since the man had announced his decision to leave New York. He hadn't yelled, though. Not until tonight. He had let the resentment build and build while he was slowly forced to play along with Itachi's plan. But finally he'd had enough.

He shoved Itachi back, slamming his body against the kitchen wall. "Fuck you, Itachi. You've wanted me longer than I've wanted you. If it isn't worth your time to offer me a fucking _explanation_ , then I'm out of here. I'll be at the nearest club if you need me for anything business related."

Sasuke turned to grab his bag, but found himself pushed up against the exact same wall he had just pinned Itachi.

"No. You're going to stay and fight it out with me," Itachi murmured into Sasuke's ear. Despite his anger, Sasuke felt himself getting hard. He could see the muscles in Itachi's shoulders and chest tense as he pressed against him. The smell of the cognac and the heady scent of Itachi blended and swirled around Sasuke. God, Sasuke had missed him.

But he wasn't going to give in to his brother that easily. "Get out of my way, Itachi. You can't keep me here if I don't want to be here."

Itachi laughed softly. "Debatable. But what you need is to vent some of that anger you've been building up over the past two months. And you don't get to leave until you do."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his older brother. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Itachi considered for a moment exactly how to phrase what he was going to say next. He had coveted his brother for so many years that finally having him had nearly blinded him to how dangerous they were to each other. They were too much alike. Strong, proud men used to concealing all emotion, focused only on their careers.

They would end up tearing each other apart. It was the reason Itachi had always held back from showing even the tiniest hint of what he felt for his little brother, as much as it had killed him to watch Sasuke fuck random strangers in the clubs.

And then Naruto had appeared.

Something about the blond had pushed Sasuke to actually deal with emotions other than simple lust. It had made it possible for Sasuke to re-think what he actually felt for Itachi. Itachi had been curious and found himself needing to track the blond down himself.

He had quickly concluded that Naruto had what both Sasuke and Itachi lacked. Where Itachi and Sasuke were used to living in an emotionless void, Naruto was bubbling over with emotions. But even more important was the blond's ability to read the latent emotions in others, even when they were deeply buried and jaded like Sasuke's and Itachi's were. Naruto had drawn them out and humanized the brothers in a way no one else had ever been able to. In a way that Sasuke and Itachi were not able to do with each other. If they were going to avoid completely destroying each other, they needed him.

But first, Itachi had to convince Sasuke that he wasn't being replaced. Itachi nearly laughed at the idea. As though anyone could take Sasuke's place in Itachi's affections. Since the day Sasuke was born, Itachi's world had fundamentally shifted to revolve around his little brother. Nothing had mattered more to Itachi than his little brother. At first, it had been strictly Itachi wanting to protect Sasuke, help him to succeed.

But as Sasuke had matured into adulthood, that fixation had darkened. Itachi was a complicated man. He didn't open up to people outside of his family. The only one who truly knew him, truly understood him, had been Sasuke. And Sasuke had matured into a beautiful, sensual man. But Itachi had always held back. In the end, they were brothers, and Sasuke never gave any indication of feeling the same sort of very _un_ brotherly attraction that Itachi found himself ensnared in.

Until Naruto had crashed into Sasuke's life.

Itachi looked into the blazing, cold-angry eyes of his brother and couldn't disguise the surge of lust and pride that flooded through him. Sasuke was a strong, intelligent, beautiful man. And he belonged to Itachi. Which was only fair, since Sasuke had owned Itachi's soul since he was only an infant.

"I said, what the _fuck_ does that mean?" Sasuke repeated, his voice roughened at the lust that was clear in Itachi's eyes. But there was no yielding in Sasuke's anger, despite the attraction. Itachi had screwed up and Sasuke was going to hold him accountable. He was the only one who dared. Even their father didn't have the balls to cross Itachi once his mind was set. Sasuke was the only one who wouldn't back down and it was quite possibly the thing that Itachi coveted most about him.

Itachi pressed Sasuke harder against the wall, thrusting a leg between Sasuke's thighs. "It means…," Itachi leaned forward, brushing his lips against the pale column of Sasuke's throat, breathing in the addictive scent of his brother that he craved. He shuddered slightly. He would do anything for Sasuke.

_Anything._

"... It means I know you're angry at how heavy-handed I was about making decisions for us. I'm not used to asking permission, Sasuke. I'm used to making my own decisions and acting on them."

The breath of Itachi's words brushed against the sensitive spot just below Sasuke's ear, his thigh pressed harder against Sasuke's groin. Unable to help it, Sasuke arched back slightly against the wall, knowing his brother could feel his rapidly growing erection as he rubbed his thigh against it. Goddamn Itachi for making him live like a monk for two months. It made it too easy to use sex against him.

"That's a stupid excuse," Sasuke gritted out, forcing himself not to thrust up against Itachi's touch. "You're supposed to be some fucking brilliant prodigy. Any dumb-ass would know what you did would piss me off."

Sasuke clenched his hands into fists to keep them from running down the exposed planes of Itachi's bare back and chest. A quick glance down showed Itachi's nipples were already pebble hard, even without being touched. He could feel the long, hard length of Itachi's own arousal pressed against his hip, and the thought of it made him almost light-headed. But he wasn't going to be ruled by his dick. If Itachi had something to say, he'd better fucking say it or Sasuke would make good on his threat to walk out the door and get his relief elsewhere. What he had with Itachi wasn't just about sex. Sex was easy and could be had almost anywhere with significantly fewer complications.

He needed more from Itachi or it wasn't fucking worth it.

But still, he was shocked at his brother's next words.

"I know." Itachi's voice was low, but there was no mistaking the repentant tone. One Sasuke couldn't really recall ever hearing from the man before. "I'm smart about many things. But you should know as well as I do that emotions and relationships are not something we do well. Either of us."

Sasuke's mind rapidly flicked through the undertones of what his brother was saying. "So you're admitting that you fucked up."

"... yes."

Sasuke felt some of the angry tension begin to leave him. That was an admission that no Uchiha made easily. Itachi had his head bent slightly forward, his forehead just inches above Sasuke's shoulder. So he couldn't see it when Sasuke's lips curved subtly into a small smirk.

"So you're trying to say that you're sorry by letting me vent my anger on you."

There was another brief pause, then, "... yes."

Sasuke drew a breath, feeling much more in control of himself now. He had spent the last two months thinking about Itachi's reasons for leaving New York. While he had been furious about the way Itachi had made the decision seemingly for the both of them, he couldn't disagree with the actual decision itself. Itachi was right. They needed to get out of New York and out from under their father.

But.

"That still doesn't explain why Naruto was here," Sasuke was going to stand his ground until he understood exactly what the fuck was going on. All of it. As much as they both wanted to be rid of their clothes and fucking in Itachi's enormous bed, they were going to have this conversation.

Itachi's hands went to undo the buttons Sasuke's blood-red shirt, but Sasuke stopped him, gripping Itachi hard by the wrists and slamming them back against the wall. Itachi narrowed his eyes, but accepted the reprimand, not trying to break free as he met Sasuke's unwavering gaze dead-on.

"Because we need him, Sasuke," Itachi's voice was low, but filled with conviction.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly at his brother's words. "We need him?"

"Yes. We need him," Itachi repeated firmly, his gaze flickering down to Sasuke's mouth before returning resolutely to Sasuke's face. Sasuke took pleasure in noting the slight sweat that sheened in the hollow at the base of Itachi's throat. He knew just how much his brother wanted him, and respected the control that Itachi was exhibiting as he answered Sasuke's questions first. "He has the pieces we lack."

Sasuke's eyes flickered as though processing Itachi's words… turning them over his mind. Itachi continued, ignoring the fact that Sasuke still held his wrists pressed against the wall.

"You and I are Uchihas. We are alike in many ways. Intellectually ruthless but emotionally… insufficient. Left to our own devices, we will rip each other to pieces, even if we don't mean to. Naruto is the one who can make this work. He will keep us from tearing each other apart. What do you think Naruto would have done when I had announced I was moving to L.A. without discussing it with either of you, if we were all in a relationship together at that time?"

Sasuke released Itachi's wrists, raking a hand through his hair as he imagined imagining the hell that Naruto would have raised. A low chuckle escaped his lips, and he could see an answering amusement in Itachi's dark gaze. Naruto would not have stoically frozen Itachi out the way Sasuke had. He would have burned Itachi's office to the ground, probably with Itachi still in it.

"Exactly," Itachi said, as though reading Sasuke's thoughts. "He doesn't have the Uchiha pride to prevent him from having an honest reaction to a situation. He won't let us silently cut each other to pieces."

Sasuke snorted, but didn't disagree. It actually… made sense.

"Hn. You make our relationship sound so appealing. Are you sure it's me you want to be with, and not Naruto?" Sasuke couldn't help the edge that crept into his voice.

Itachi pulled Sasuke to him, kissing him harshly. Possessively. When they were both breathing hard, he pulled back. "I will _never_ let you go, Sasuke. But I care enough about you to know that - on my own - I will end up hurting you. And you will hurt me. Naruto was the one who brought us together in the first place. We need him to keep us from destroying each other." Itachi gave a low smirk. "And you can't deny that you want him."

Sasuke didn't bother to make such a blatantly false denial. He _did_ still want Naruto. Could he really have both?

Sasuke could see where Itachi's logic was headed, but that didn't mean it was going to actually happen. Uchihas made decisions on logic. Naruto made his based on emotion.

"I won't deny wanting him, but I think it's more than clear that Naruto's morals and ethics are quite different from mine. Just because I might be… interested… in having both of you doesn't mean Naruto would feel the same. Not to mention that participating in an incestuous three-way relationship would be likely to push a few boundaries of pretty much anyone. Even if we want him, what would he get out of it?"

Itachi smirked at the derisive tone in Sasuke's voice. "I believe Naruto was the one who first pointed out that you might have… not-quite-brotherly feelings about me in the first place. I don't think Naruto is someone who is bound by social conventions of what relationships should be allowed or not," Itachi's smirk faded into a look of annoyance. "And if you'd come when you were _supposed_ to, I would have had time to discuss this with him without you scaring him off."

"So why did you let him leave?" Sasuke asked, equally irritated.

"Because your temper was only going to convince him that this wouldn't work. I had waited to discuss it with him until you were coming because I knew you would want to be here before anything happened. But I had wanted to give him enough time to get used to the idea before you showed up."

Sasuke sighed. It was a mess. "Well, it's done now. We'll just have to go find him tomorrow and explain things properly."

Itachi's body seemed to lose some of its rigid tension and Sasuke realized that his brother had actually not been completely sure that Sasuke would agree. However, just because Sasuke agreed with Itachi didn't mean he was going to let Itachi off the hook for how he'd gone about orchestrating things.

Sasuke took a step forward, bringing his body within inches of Itachi's. He felt a thrill of arousal when his brother didn't even flinch, looking directly back at Sasuke, and a sense of leashed power hovering between the two men.

"If you ever pull a stunt like this again without fucking _discussing_ it with me, we are over. Do you understand?" Sasuke said, his voice low.

Itachi arched an eyebrow. "I will always do what I think is best for you, Sasuke," Itachi responded, his expression rueful. "Just like you will always call me out when I go too far."

"Tch," Knowing that was as good as he was likely to get, Sasuke slowly slid the flat of his palm up from Itachi's hip over the hard planes of his abs, reveling at the way the muscles clenched under his touch.

Itachi drew in a sharp breath at the touch. "Sasuke…" Itachi breathed out the name in a way that gave Sasuke a heady rush of power. Sasuke's fingertips brushed over Itachi's already pebbled nipples, causing Itachi's hands to vice around Sasuke's hips as he drew their bodies flush together.

Unlike Sasuke, Itachi had seldom taken lovers. Sasuke knew he held a power over his brother that no one else did, a man who was coveted by everyone. To hold such a power over the figure that Sasuke had admired and revered since childhood had his own hands shaking as they traced their way along Itachi's perfect, pale body. In his young eyes, there had been no one more perfect or untouchable than his brother. Flawless in every respect, the object of everyone's admiration and desire. To feel that man shudder under his touch made Sasuke's breath come in rapid pants.

Itachi's hands were already undoing the buttons of the blood-red shirt that Sasuke was wearing, skillfully baring the skin beneath it as the shirt was roughly shoved aside. Itachi's hands slid up Sasuke's throat to brush against the hard edge of his jaw before the thumbs were digging in at the hinge of it, pushing Sasuke's mouth wide, allowing maximum access as their mouths fused together. Months of repressed lust and anger made it impossible to be gentle with each other.

Sasuke slid his hands up, tugging the hair tie from Itachi's ponytail, shuddering as the hair spilled free down the man's back and across his shoulders. He wrapped his hands in the long skeins of Itachi's hair, pulling him harshly down so their mouths crushed together.

He felt one of Itachi's hands slide down to cup his clothed erection and he felt his mind haze over at the extremely skilled way Itachi touched his body, deepening their kiss at the same time he increased the friction and pace of his strokes.

Sasuke realized Itachi was quickly seizing control of the situation. He wrapped his hand around his brother's wrist, stopping the motion of Itachi's hand on his cock.

"No," Sasuke growled out. "You don't get to call the shots tonight."

Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"What exactly do you want?" Itachi asked.

Sasuke thought briefly about saying he wanted to sleep in the guest room, but there was no point in torturing both of them. He tightened his fist into Itachi's hair, pulling their mouths together.

"Tonight, you do what I say. Consider it… penance."

The heat that flared in Sasuke eyes belied his flat, emotionless tone. Itachi's eyes darkened in response and Sasuke wondered for a breathless moment if Itachi would allow it. He slowly drew Itachi back down into their kiss.

Itachi was by no means passive, but he let Sasuke set the pace and depth of the kiss. Sasuke gave a low, pleased hum, reveling in the feeling of power he had over his older brother. Not breaking the kiss he began walking Itachi backwards down the hall he assumed led to the master bedroom.

He lifted his head, releasing his hold on Itachi's hair to look at his brother's face. Itachi's eyes were dark with lust as he studied Sasuke, his chest rising and falling at an accelerated pace. But his expression was still controlled. He didn't grab for Sasuke or try to re-initiate their kiss, obeying Sasuke's demand to be the one in charge.

"What now?" Itachi asked, arching an elegant brow.

Sasuke felt a surge of pride at his brother's composure. Sasuke knew the hold he had on his older brother… the depth of Itachi's fascination for him. Despite how long Itachi had waited for him, despite how much Itachi hungered for him, he knew Itachi would not bend beyond a certain point. Tonight, Sasuke wanted to discover just exactly where that point was.

"Get on the bed," Sasuke ordered, his voice cold and flat.

* * *

_To be continued…_

A/N:  In case it isn't already very clear, there will be ItaSasu in this fic.  Full lemon.  Coming soon to an update near you. LOL

Still with me??  I seriously keep waiting for the backlash that I had been so sure was going to come with this fic.  hahaha


	3. Brothers

**WARNING:  ItaSasu - full lemon.  Don't like, don't read!!! If you somehow missed the UCHIHACEST tag on this story, this is where it gets real, peeps! (I still can't believe I am posting this).**

**A/N:**  I can't believe all the amazing comments you guys have given this story!! Holy shit!  It made me skip lunch today to proof this next part so I can post it.  And if you really, really can't read ItaSasu, you can skip to the double line break but you will miss some of the emotional dynamics of this story.  This is a lemon, but it isn't totally PWP.

* * *

 

_Sasuke felt a surge of pride at his brother's composure. Sasuke knew the hold he had on his older brother… the depth of Itachi's fascination for him. Despite how long Itachi had waited for him, despite how much Itachi hungered for him, he knew Itachi would not bend beyond a certain point. Tonight, Sasuke wanted to discover just exactly where that point was._

_"Get on the bed," Sasuke ordered, his voice cold and flat._

Itachi’s arched an eyebrow at him, as though he were considering calling Sasuke’s bluff.  While both men had grown up being the ones who called the shots in their own lives and own business ventures, Itachi had always been the older brother, with all the authority that role entailed when it came to Sasuke.  As their relationship had evolved, Itachi had more or less retained that power over Sasuke.  

But Itachi had gone too far, and Sasuke was going to make sure that Itachi didn’t forget that Sasuke was _also_ an Uchiha.  Their gazes locked for the space of several breaths.  Itachi’s lips twitched in pleased amusement, but otherwise his expression gave nothing away as he walked fluidly over to the massive bed, discarding the shirt that Sasuke had already unbuttoned.  He sat down on the bed, his hair loose around his bare torso, the fine wool of his black pants contrasting with the blood red of his sheets.  Sasuke followed him only as far as the bedroom door, watching the predatory grace his brother exuded even when following orders.

“Are you just going to stand there all evening?”  Itachi asked, a taunting arrogance in his voice.

Sasuke smirked.  His brother might be good at concealing his emotions from others, but Sasuke knew him like no one else.  Sasuke slowly dropped his hands to the fastenings of his pants, undoing the button and the zipper.  He could feel Itachi’s gaze on him, sliding over his bare chest and down to where his pants were slowly being lowered, his erection jutting proudly against the black silk of his boxers.  

Before he released his pants, Sasuke curled his fingers around his belt buckle, slowly pulling the leather free of the hoops before coiling its length in his hand.  Itachi watched with undisguised interest as Sasuke pushed his trousers and boxers down, letting them fall to the floor.  

He walked purposefully to the bed, the belt still coiled in his hand, watching the effect it had on Itachi’s painfully erect cock.  He glanced at the headboard, gauging the strength of the mahogany carved posts.  Sasuke slowly uncoiled the leather belt and slid it through his fingers, his eyes locked on Itachi.  To his credit, aside from a general darkening of his already black eyes, Itachi showed no reaction to the object in Sasuke’s hands.

“I wonder what you would let me do with this, Nii-san,” Sasuke said, walking to stand by the head of the bed, his face impassive.  

Itachi met his gaze calmly, then allowed his eyes to slide over the perfect form of his aroused brother.  

“I already told you I would let you have your way tonight.”  There was a dark possessiveness to Itachi’s voice that caused a shiver to race up Sasuke’s spine, and a drip of precum fell from his cock to hit the wood floor.  There was a subtle stress on ‘tonight’ that implied that tomorrow would be different.  Sasuke considered how far he wanted to take things.

His mind suddenly recalled Naruto’s words, about having someone roleplay his brother to suck his dick or let him flay him.  He realized that - of those options - he had less interest in hurting Itachi, and more interest in simply having full control.  Decided in his course of action, he got down to business.

“Grab the headboard,” Sasuke commanded, his tone unyielding.

Itachi arched a brow, but complied, reaching his arms back to grab the thick wooden spindles.  Sasuke climbed onto the large bed, looping the belt around Itachi’s wrists then through the wooden slats, winding it around before hooking it closed.

Itachi tugged gently, testing the strength of Sasuke’s handiwork out of curiosity, rather than a desire to actually break free.  “You’re either very creative or you’ve done this before.”  

Sasuke didn’t miss the edge in Itachi’s voice that always showed itself when Sasuke’s sexual past was brought up.  Sasuke smirked, not denying the implication.  

“I’ve done a lot of things before, Itach’.”

Sasuke knew he was treading dangerously, baiting his possessive older brother like this, but he felt it was justified given what he had walked into this evening.  Itachi’s eyes narrowed, and Sasuke felt a surge of satisfaction at his brother’s show of jealousy.  Sasuke crawled over to Itachi’s side, feeling his brother’s eyes following his every movement.  The edge of having this power over his perfect older brother had not lost its sharpness, and Sasuke reveled in it as he slowly lowered his hand to rest above Itachi’s heart.

“Don’t push me farther than you can handle, Otouto.”  The slight threat in Itachi’s voice had Sasuke’s dick hardening painfully.  A fact that Itachi did not fail to notice.

“I know my limits.  I wonder if you know yours.”  

Sasuke slowly pressed the tips of his fingers against the smooth, pale skin of Itachi’s chest, feeling the pulse strong and fast beneath them.  He slowly drew the pads of his fingers down to the flat stomach, his eyes locked on his brother’s.

His entire life had been spent looking up to the man beneath him on the bed.  Chasing Itachi’s accomplishments and perfection, always falling just short of success in their father’s eyes as well as Sasuke’s own.  To now have this man at his mercy was something Sasuke knew he could never get enough of.

Sasuke forced himself to maintain control.  He would not rush this.  He slowly dipped his thumbs into the hollows just above Itachi’s hip bones.  Itachi’s shirt had been discarded long ago, but his pants were still riding low, hanging unzipped at his hips.  Sasuke considered what he wanted to do first.

“You should have told me when you found Naruto,” Sasuke’s voice was calm and businesslike, in direct contrast to the dark look in his eyes.

Itachi’s eyes darkened, but otherwise he appeared fully composed.

Sasuke pressed his hands flat and slid them up Itachi’s chest before pressing his thumbs gently into the underside of Itachi’s jaw, causing the older man’s head to tilt slightly up.  He lowered his head so his lips were just brushing above Itachi’s, but didn’t kiss him.  

“You kept Naruto a secret from me for three months,” Sasuke stated, his words brushing against the sensitive skin of Itachi’s mouth.

Sasuke felt Itachi’s pulse race beneath his fingertips as they brushed against the pale throat, but - to his credit - Itachi didn’t move to close the gap and complete the kiss.

Instead, he simply breathed in, drawing in Sasuke’s scent.

“Eleven weeks.”

Sasuke’s hands slid up further, tightening in Itachi’s hair as his lips ghosted down over the sensitive skin of his neck.  

“Eleven weeks?”  Sasuke felt not a small amount of anger as he thought about all the times Itachi had been alone with Naruto during that time.  All the times they had spoken on the phone and Itachi had never mentioned it.

He slid his mouth further down to Itachi’s collar bone, his breath causing the skin to shiver beneath it as more substantive contact was withheld.  He could see the elevated pulse in Itachi’s neck.  Sasuke let his fingers brush against Itachi’s nipples, slowly circling them, but without enough pressure to bring any satisfaction.  

“That’s a long time to be keeping secrets.”  Sasuke’s voice was emotionless as he lowered his hands to the waistband of Itachi’s pants.  “Does that mean I get to keep eleven weeks’ worth of secrets from you about a potential lover I take an interest in?”

All amusement in the situation fled from Itachi’s face as he pulled against the restraint.  “Don’t make threats, Sasuke.”

The possessive anger in Itachi’s voice made Sasuke run the tip of his tongue over his lower lip.  He kept his eyes locked on Itachi’s as he slowly pulled Itachi’s pants off, throwing them aside.  The angry red of Itachi’s cock matched the angry heat in his eyes, and Sasuke had to stop himself from speeding things up too quickly.

It was always better when they drew it out.

Instead, he arched a brow, looking down at his brother now naked and tied to the bed with his belt.  “What would you have done, Itachi’? If you had come back to my apartment early, and found me half naked with another man?  Should we test it out sometime?”

“Only if you want your lover dead.”  

Sasuke couldn’t quite suppress the spike of adrenaline at the deadly cold tone of Itachi’s voice.  Somehow, he didn’t think Itachi was exaggerating.

“Even if it was Naruto?”

Sasuke slid his hands up Itachi’s inner thighs, sliding them up over the cut of his hip bones, then back to the sensitive skin below, but never touching his erection.  The metal clasp on the belt scraped against the wood as Itachi’s muscles clenched.  

“Is it Naruto you want in bed right now?” Itachi looked at Sasuke, a clear challenge in his eyes.

Sasuke moved, pressing Itachi’s knees out, spread the man’s legs further apart before settling between them.  

“I’ve fucked Naruto before.  Have you?”

Itachi’s jaw clenched as he met Sasuke’s gaze.  “No.  Not. Yet.”

The thought of his brother pounding into Naruto took him by surprise at how much he actually would like to see that, and had Sasuke grabbing his own cock, sitting back on his heels between Itachi’s legs as he pumped himself.  Itachi’s eyes locked onto Sasuke’s movements with a feverish light.

“Come here,” Itachi commanded.

Sasuke paused the movements of his own hand, looking down at the expression of raw lust on Itachi’s face.

Sasuke _almost_ gave in. Every ounce of his willpower strained against his desire to obey his brother’s command.  

“Not yet,” Sasuke replied, slowly stroking himself as he watched his brother’s body tense even more with arousal.  Itachi might be able to school his expressions, but - like all men - his body always gave him away.

Sasuke smiled darkly at his brother, knowing full well that if Itachi’s hands weren’t bound, Itachi would have seized control long before now.

Sasuke slowly leaned forward, bringing their mouths together, sliding his tongue over Itachi’s lower lip before pressing it inside.  Itachi’s tongue instantly joined his, thrusting aggressively into Sasuke’s mouth before trailing seductively along Sasuke’s teeth and tongue.  Itachi might not have use of his hands, but that did not mean he was going to be passive.  Sasuke straddled Itachi’s stomach, deepening the kiss but giving no relief to either of their erections.

They focused just on the kiss, using their teeth,  lips and tongues to convey all the need, frustration, and desire that had built up between them in the months Itachi had been gone.

Sasuke began to trail his fingers slowly and deliberately down Itachi’s lean body, no longer with teasingly light touches, his eyes burning as he followed their path with them.  He leaned forward and scraped his teeth along the juncture of Itachi’s throat, sucking sharply at the corded muscle there before dipping lower, one thumb pressing roughly over Itachi’s left nipple while Sasuke’s tongue and teeth sensitized his right.  

Itachi’s hips flexed up but Sasuke was careful to give the man no relief.

“Sasuke,” Itachi’s voice had a warning edge.  He was used to being the one calling the shots, and his inability to do so was clearly frustrating him.

“Not tonight,” Sasuke replied, pinching Itachi’s nipple sharply in a reprimand.

Itachi hissed out a sharp breath, the warning look in his eyes hazed by an edge of lust.  The combination fed something dark inside Sasuke.  His brother would never fully submit.  And Sasuke fucking loved it.

Sasuke slid further down Itachi’s body, letting his tongue dip into the hollow at Itachi’s naval, feeling the stomach muscles clench and quiver beneath his touch.  He let his fingers glide down to grip Itachi’s hip bones, letting his weight push down, driving Itachi’s body deeper into the soft mattress, conveniently also restricting Itachi’s ability to thrust up against him.

The rhythm of Itachi’s breathing became much shallower as Sasuke continued to let his lips and  tongue play over the canvass of Itachi’s stomach, teasingly close but frustratingly far from Itachi’s engorged, sensitized erection.  Sasuke looked up, his hair falling in his eyes as he watched his brother watching him.  Dark eyes, mirror images of each other, locked together as Sasuke moved his mouth further down.

He could see a small sheen of sweat start to form on Itachi’s chest as he veered to the side, allowing his cheek to brush against the leaking erection standing proudly between Itachi's thighs.  Sasuke glanced up, seeing the way Itachi’s fingers curled into the leather of the belt.

He smiled darkly up at his brother as he nuzzled along the neatly trimmed dark curls.  

“Impatient, Itachi?” Sasuke asked him before sliding his tongue along the very base of Itachi’s cock, still refusing to touch the sensitive head.

He knew his brother could feel the hardness of his own erection as it brushed against Itachi’s calf, but he didn’t care.  It was no secret that Sasuke desired him.

Itachi slid his leg more firmly between Sasuke’s thighs, pressing fully against the arousal there.  Sasuke growled at the sensation.

“Aren’t you?  You’re not usually one to wait,” Itachi replied, his voice rough with lust but still controlled.

It was true.  Of the two of them, Sasuke had always been the more sexually active and he was used to having his sexual needs gratified frequently, without restraint, with all of his past partners.

But Sasuke also knew that his brother had coveted him longer and with a deeper obsession than Sasuke's own.  Sasuke was more than willing to use that against him now.

“Did you miss me, Nii-san?”  Sasuke pulled one of Itachi’s balls into his mouth, suckling gently. He didn’t fail to notice the way Itachi’s cock jumped when he called him nii-san.  He loved that his perfect brother had such a weakness… one that society would find so deplorable.  His perfect older brother...  taken apart by the thought of the younger one sucking his dick.

Itachi’s erection was steadily leaking precum now, the muscles of his thighs clenched tightly in his effort to refrain from thrusting up.  

“Did you wonder if I was fucking someone else while you were gone?”  Sasuke let the breath of his words ghost across Itachi’s sensitive flesh, reveling in the possessive, predatory light in Itachi’s eyes. “Did you think about me when you went to sleep in this bed alone?  Did you think about fucking me in it?”

Sasuke’s hand began a slow, loose pumping motion up and down Itachi’s shaft.  He gave just enough pressure to sensitize the flesh, but not enough friction to satisfy.

Itachi closed his eyes briefly, drawing in a sharp breath through his nose.

“What did you think about doing to me, Itach’?  When you finally got me here?”

Itachi opened his eyes, the intensity of them would have felled a lesser man.  Sasuke simply smirked.

“Untie my hands and I’ll show you _exactly_ what I thought about doing with you.”

“Hmmm.  I don’t think so.  You made me wait for three months.  I’m not inclined to let you off easy.”  He twisted his wrist and flicked the pad of his thumb over Itachi’s head, then licked along the tight line of flesh beneath Itachi’s balls, heading back.

Itachi’s ass clenched at the unfamiliar touch, and he growled low in his throat.  “I was waiting, too.  I did it for both of us.”

Sasuke nipped warningly at the inside of Itachi’s thigh, stopping the light pumping of his hands and making Itachi’s jaw clench with frustration.  

“I don’t need you to do things for me without my permission, Itach’.”  Sasuke’s hand closed painfully around the base of Itachi’s cock, drawing a flinch from the man.  For a drawn out moment, their eyes met, and Itachi gave a short nod of acknowledgement.  Sasuke’s eyes slid half closed, a decidedly predatory light appearing in them at his brother’s rare show of capitulation. “But... we’ll talk about that later.”

Sasuke swirled his tongue around the head of Itachi’s erection, making the older man gasp.

“Later?” Itachi’s voice was strained.  Sasuke didn’t bother to answer as he slowly closed his lips over the engorged head of Itachi’s shaft, giving a slow suck as he continued to work his tongue to gradually wet and lubricate the flesh.  He pulled off, then immediately repeated the motion, inching lower and lower down Itachi’s cock with each iteration.  The groan torn from Itachi’s throat made it more than worth it.

“Yesssss,” Itachi let his head fall back, his arms straining as they automatically tried to move to fist into Sasuke’s hair.  Sasuke tightened his grip on Itachi’s hips, finally taking Itachi all the way down, feeling Itachi’s head deep in his throat, then pulling slowly back up.  Over and over, never relenting on the painfully slow pace as he watched his brother, saw that muscles straining futilely to be able to take charge and set the pace.

“Fuck!” Itachi panted, unable to tear his gaze away from the sight of Sasuke sucking his dick.  He shifted his legs wider, digging his heels into the mattress to get enough leverage to break Sasuke’s control over his hips, but Sasuke only pressed down more firmly, not giving an inch, the muscles in his arms and back flexing with the force required to keep Itachi pinned.

Sasuke hummed, the low sound sending vibrations through Itachi’s shaft before returning to the slow, deep motions, further ramping up the tension in Itachi’s body.

Sensing the impending orgasm, Sasuke pulled off, sending an amused look at Itachi’s bitten off curse.  

“You don’t get to cum yet,” Sasuke wiped the saliva and precum from his chin, his jaw aching somewhat from working Itachi over for so long.

He reached into the top drawer in the nightstand, assuming that was where Itachi would keep the condoms and lube.  He was pleased to see the box of condoms was unopened.  Things would have stopped abruptly had it not been, and Itachi would have found himself missing at least one body part.  The amused look in Itachi’s eyes told him that - as usual - his brother was aware of his thoughts.

Sasuke flicked open the box of condoms, taking one from the pack before tossing the box aside.  

He lay back in full view of Itachi as he slowly pumped his erection with one hand and prepared himself with the other.  The way Itachi’s eyes followed every movement had Sasuke groaning, his lips slightly parted as he saw the almost indescribable lust in his brother’s gaze.

Sasuke took his time, asserting full control over the pace at which things were going to happen.  Loving the tortured, hungry look in Itachi’s eyes as he was forcibly relegated to passive observer.

Sasuke was tempted to draw it out even further, but he had gotten to the point where he was torturing himself as much as he was his brother.  He drew himself up, then crawled over, letting his lips hover above his brother’s.

“You belong to me, Itachi,” Sasuke’s voice was low and dark.  

This time Itachi did pull forward, plunging his tongue into Sasuke’s mouth.  Sasuke returned the kiss with equal fervor before slowly sinking down on Itachi’s straining erection.

“Sasuke… yes.  And you belong to me.”

Sasuke looked down, his eyes filled with a possessive light that matched his brother’s perfectly.  Once he was fully seated with Itachi’s shaft deep inside him, he slowly rolled his hips.  Itachi let out a low rumble of desire, and Sasuke could feel a tremor move through his older brother’s body at the sensation.  

A slightly sadistic light gleamed in Sasuke’s eyes as he leaned forward whispered directly into Itachi’s ear, “Yes.  And tonight I am going to make sure you remember it.”

* * *

 

.

* * *

 

It wasn’t until hours later that Itachi found himself finally able to flex his stiff joints.  Sasuke had not gone easy on him, keeping him on the edge of orgasm for over an hour.  His arms would be sore for days from straining against the restraint.  He rubbed his chafed wrists, grateful that Sasuke’s belt had been made from supple leather so there were no cuts or welts.  

A slight smile formed on his lips. Maybe he would give Sasuke control more often. He supposed he should consider himself fortunate that his brother hadn’t fallen asleep before undoing the belt.

He stood barefoot, clad only in a pair of silk sleep pants he’d pulled on, looking over to where Sasuke was still sleeping on his bed.  Itachi’s eyes softened in a rare, unguarded moment.  It still seemed like a miracle that he and his brother had finally come together.  But that miracle hadn’t happened on its own.  There had definitely been mortal hands involved in bringing them together.

Itachi grimaced slightly as he thought about the night before.  If only he’d gotten just a little bit further in the conversation he’d been trying to have with Naruto, things might have played out very differently.  It could have been three of them waking up together, instead of just him and Sasuke.  Itachi sighed.  Naruto hadn’t left on a good note and Itachi was fairly certain the younger man now thought Itachi had just been playing him.  Or possibly wanting to use him.  

Both notions were repugnant to him.

There was nothing sordid about what he wanted from Naruto.  Well... he supposed it technically _was_ quite sordid.  Entering into a sexual relationship with two brothers was about as sordid as it gets. But the _reasons_ for his attraction to Naruto were so much more than just that.  Simply put, Naruto was amazing. Unique.  If it were anyone other than Naruto, Itachi wouldn’t even consider it and neither would Sasuke.

In both his business and professional life, Itachi had met all kinds of people from all walks of life.  He had thought he was well past the point of ever being able to actually be surprised by anyone... their hidden agendas and machinations were generally childishly obvious to him.  Everyone played the game, it was just a matter of figured out which version of it they were playing.  

And then he’d met Naruto.

Itachi had been so sure that somehow Sasuke had misread the blond, just been blown away by someone who was good in the sack or talked a good game.  Though it would have been uncharacteristic for Sasuke to be taken in like that, it was _possible_ given that they’d only had one night together.  Far more likely than Naruto _actually_ being what Sasuke had described.  Itachi had been sure it had all been a front.  He’d just wanted to go out and meet the person who could have played his brother so perfectly.  

So Itachi had flown out to LA only to find that… Naruto wasn’t playing at anything.  He wasn’t trying to _get_ anything or climb the social ladder or gain advantage in some other way.  He was just an honestly _good_ person and Itachi had been fairly certain that those simply didn’t exist anymore, if they ever had.  Naruto had fascinated him…. drawn him on a level he hadn’t thought anyone other than Sasuke ever could.  He didn’t want to lose Naruto before he’d even gotten him.

Itachi walked to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee, watching the steam rise from the mug.  His fingers tensed at the thought that last night might actually have cost them the chance at making things work with Naruto.  It scared him slightly how much he _wanted_ to make this work.  Itachi was not a man who let himself want things.  His only other exception had been Sasuke.  Could he be lucky twice?

He didn’t know.

Unfortunately, the very aspect of the younger man that Itachi was so drawn to was the same thing that was going to make this hard to fix.  Itachi was pretty sure that Naruto would be in no mood to listen to him right now and he desperately needed Naruto to hear him out.  It was possible that Sasuke might have a better shot at getting Naruto to listen, but Sasuke had a tendency to lose his temper or rush his fences and Itachi wanted Naruto to have time to make the decision and hear them out fully.  Naruto wasn’t someone who took matters of ethics or emotions lightly.  It was one of the things that drew both Itachi and Sasuke to him, but it was also one of the things that would make this much more difficult now that Naruto had likely jumped to several wrong conclusions and would have his defenses up.

He was broken from his thoughts when two pale, toned arms slid firmly around his bare waist.  He could feel the heat of Sasuke’s bare chest against his back.

“You’re not in bed,” Sasuke stated, reaching up to encircle Itachi’s wrist with his fingers and guiding Itachi’s coffee to his own lips, taking a sip from his brother’s cup.  It was unusual for Sasuke to show so much affection outside of bed and Itachi enjoyed it for the brief moment it was likely to last.

“Hn,” Itachi turned, running his hand along the bare expanse of Sasuke’s contoured back before letting it settle in the dip of his lower back, just above the boxers that Sasuke wore.

“You’re worried about Naruto,” Sasuke said after a moment’s examination of Itachi’s expression.

Itachi slid his free hand along Sasuke’s jaw, holding his coffee to the side to avoid burning either of them as he brought their mouths together for a slow, deep kiss.  It was not surprising that Sasuke would be able to guess what Itachi was thinking about.  They knew each other well and tended to have similar reactions to situations.  And people.

“Yes.  The scene last evening was… unfortunate.”

Sasuke’s jaw tensed.  “He probably thinks you were just jerking him around.  You couldn’t have just _told_ him directly?”

Itachi let out an annoyed breath. “I wanted to make sure he’d say yes before I asked him.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes.  His brother was a genius but he also could over-complicate things with his own cleverness.  Sasuke tended to be much more direct.  “Yeah, that worked out well.”

“You’re the one who showed up early,” Itachi countered, though his voice sounded more weary than annoyed.  In that moment, Sasuke realized Itachi might actually be legitimately upset over what had happened.  This mattered to Itachi. Somehow, that thought eased some of the edginess Sasuke had about it.

“If you had told me what was going on, it wouldn’t have happened,” Sasuke said.  “I could have _helped_.”  

“You are protective of Naruto.  You told me yourself that he was the first person you ever thought you could really have a relationship with.  You care for him,” Itachi met Sasuke’s gaze steadily, daring him to deny it.  Which, of course, Sasuke couldn’t.  “You wouldn’t have given the idea a chance unless you saw for yourself that Naruto actually _wanted_ both of us.  If there’s no mutual connection between each of us, individually, this won’t work.”

“Tch,” Sasuke’s frustration was obvious, but once again he couldn’t disagree with the point Itachi was making.  Itachi had been able to sort this through over the past three months, and Sasuke was trying to catch up.  He could only imagine how Naruto was going to feel about it all.

Itachi poured his brother a cup of coffee, then walked to the living room, sitting down on the leather sofa.  Sasuke joined him, setting his coffee down with a slight frown.

“When you came out here to track him down, I somehow doubt that you were looking to invite him over for a threesome,” Sasuke could feel some of the anger from the prior night returning.  “You tracked Naruto down to test him.  To see if he was a threat to me.  To us.  I don’t know when you changed your mind on what you wanted from him, but he didn’t deserve to be played, Itachi.”

Itachi set his cup down with a click of annoyance.  “Yes. At first I came to find out if Naruto was something other than what he seemed.  But after I met him, do you really think I would play him like that?  It doesn’t take me long to read people, Sasuke.  I changed my mind about what I wanted from Naruto shortly after I met him.  But I wanted to give him time to decide on what _he_ wanted before I did anything about it.”

Sasuke held Itachi’s gaze for an instant, then relented.  “Did you?  We can both be ruthless, Itach’.  If there was someone who I thought you still had an interest in, I don’t know how gentle I would be in removing them from the picture.”

Itachi’s eyes darkened, and a low, pleased rumble came from deep in his throat.  “Hm. Even if that person was Naruto?  Last night you seemed angry at the idea that Naruto and I might have slept together, but it wasn’t clear which one of us you were actually jealous of.  Was it really Naruto?  Or was it me?”

Sasuke tensed, and Itachi knew he’d landed a direct hit.

“Tell me, Otouto.  When you saw Naruto and me in my living room, which one of us were you jealous of?” Itachi persisted.

Sasuke knew better than to brush the question off.  Itachi was not going to let him off the hook for something like this. And there was nothing much to lose by admitting it, Sasuke supposed.  Itachi had already stated his own attraction to Naruto.

“Both of you.”

“And if it had been anyone other than Naruto?” Itachi asked, not surprised when anger darkened Sasuke’s eyes.

“Then the evening would have played out considerably differently.  With significantly more pain involved for you.”

Itachi smiled at the raw truth in that statement.  “Yes, we are ruthless, are we not?  I would do the same.”

Sasuke paused, knowing there was a point in this that Itachi was trying to make other than they both seemed to be attracted to Naruto.

“Why do you think that you were less angry about Naruto being here?  You took his word rather quickly that nothing had happened, given the circumstances.  And neither you nor I are the sort who ‘shares’ well.”

Sasuke considered that.  He honestly wasn’t sure.  His feelings for Naruto were… complicated.  And his feelings for Itachi weren’t any simpler.  “I suppose… because I know that Naruto would not take advantage of the situation.  If he knew we were brothers, if he knew we were in a relationship, then Naruto wouldn’t sleep with you.  Even if you wanted to.”  There was absolute certainty in Sasuke’s voice.  Itachi smiled slightly at it, fully understanding just how rare it was for Sasuke to feel that level of trust for anyone other than Itachi.

“So you trust him.  In fact, you trust him potentially more than you trust me.”

“No,” Sasuke began immediately, then stopped himself, thinking it over more carefully. “It’s not that I trust you less than Naruto, but Naruto…”

“... sees things differently than we do.  He considers emotional ramifications that we often do not.  He’s not as ruthless,” Itachi finished for him.

“Yes,” Sasuke allowed, but wasn’t sure Naruto would buy that rationale.  “But that sounds like a fairly calculated reason for trying to make this work with him.  There has to be more than that.”

Itachi chuckled softly.  There were few things that Sasuke cared enough about to be protective over.  Naruto was obviously one, and yet his brother was arguing against it. It only made Itachi more certain this was the right thing to do.  Sasuke cared enough about Naruto to protect him from himself and from Itachi as well.  “You already admitted you were interested in a relationship with Naruto, long before you and I started sleeping together.  Is it so surprising that I see the same things in him?  There is the obvious fact that Naruto is incredibly attractive but you know that I wouldn’t bother with him if that was all he had to bring to the table.”  Itachi leaned forward slightly, his long, tapered fingers smoothing over the rim of his mug.  “After I met Naruto for the first time, I realized that you were right.”

Sasuke’s eyes locked on Itachi.  “What do you mean?”

Itachi shrugged slightly, sitting back and raking a hand through his hair, which Sasuke noted with some annoyance he had tied back in its usual low ponytail.  “About Naruto.  About him being… different.”

Sasuke arched a brow, enjoying watching his brother try to articulate ‘feelings’.  Itachi narrowed his eyes.  “Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m saying.  You saw the same thing.  He’s not like the other people we’ve met.  And I’ve had more than one night to get to know him.”

Sasuke’s gaze hardened at his brother’s intentional baiting.

“You might have had more time with him, but evidently you still haven’t realized that you can’t manipulate Naruto the way you do everyone else.  He doesn’t react like you’d expect. You can’t control him, Itachi,” Sasuke smirked, glad to have something to get back at Itachi with.  

“We both care for him. And I think it was more than evident from last night that he cares about both of us.”

Sasuke frowned, leaning back against the leather of Itachi’s sofa and rubbing a hand over his eyes.  “Regular relationships are hard enough, especially between the two of us.  Do you really think adding a third to the mix will work?”

Itachi tilted his head slightly, clearly having already thought this through. “We actually will likely work _better_ with Naruto.  And he already admitted he hasn’t found anyone else he is attracted to besides us.  He wants us, too, Sasuke.  He just didn’t think he could actually have us.  And if he doesn’t think it’s worth it, he’s a big enough boy to tell us so himself.  We each get to make our own choice in this, Sasuke.”

Sasuke thought about his conversation with Naruto a year ago.  The man had a surprisingly open mind to most things, except for relationships without any emotional attachments.

“Hn,” Sasuke conceded the point.  “Naruto won’t agree if he thinks this is some sort of open relationship.”

Itachi took a sip from his coffee. “No.  But neither would we. After all, I don’t think either of us would be pleased with Naruto bringing other people to his bed if he were in a relationship with us.”

Sasuke felt his temper flare at the thought of Naruto fucking random people, and tamped it down.  Naruto had the right to do whatever he wanted, at this point.  Nothing had been agreed to.  And might _never_ be agreed to, depending on what Naruto had to say.  Somehow, the thought made Sasuke’s stomach tense.  The more he talked to Itachi about it, the more he _wanted_ it to work out.

Itachi read his brother’s reaction, and pushed further.  “The fact that I was Naruto’s client kept him from acting on any of his attraction for me over the past three months.  As you said, he is a very principled man. But I wonder what the reason was that kept him from finding another sexual partner for the nine months before that?”

Sasuke knew that Itachi was playing to his possessive streak with those words.  The thought of Naruto not able to find someone to replace him was a heady one.  And as archaic as it sounded, Sasuke reveled in the fact that he was still the only man Naruto had ever allowed to touch him, sexually.  It was annoying that Itachi knew just which of his strings to pull.

Sasuke looked up at Itachi.  “But if he left last night thinking that you were just playing him, and that we’re together, I doubt that will hold true for much longer.  He will force himself to try to move on.”

Itachi pulled out his phone and sent Naruto a text.  “Exactly.  He’s likely already at work for the morning.  We’ll go by the gym when he finishes his last session and make him at least hear us out.”

Sasuke sat on the couch, an unsettled feeling in his stomach.  He wasn’t really sure it would be that easy to convince Naruto to listen to what they had to say.  He looked at the clock, frustrated that they would have _hours_ to wait.  But he wouldn’t confront Naruto while he was at work with this.  Naruto wouldn’t appreciate it, and right now, it was Naruto’s call whether anything was going to happen or not.

For the first time since he arrived at Itachi’s, Sasuke wished he had caught the later flight after all.

* * *

 

_To be continued…_

**A/N:** Next chapter will pick up with what Naruto has been up to after he left our boys.  And the three will meet up again.  ;-)


	4. Trying to break free

**Warnings:** Alcohol use/over-use. Sexual things happening while under the influence. DON'T LIKE, DON'T READ.

**A/N:** So - as promised - now that I've posted the next chapter on Fades, here is the next part on SIN Test and we get to see what Naruto has been doing since he left Itachi's apartment.  Just as a reminder, this fic was written FOR FUN. It is not meant to be a serious plot (it's only 5 chapters) and it's just sort of... fantasy. So... yeah. Just take it for what it is, 'kay? Just entertainment. I was listening to Tove Lo 'stay high' back when I wrote this, and I also just REALLY wanted Sasuke and Itachi to have to chase Naruto. So... I made that happen LOLOL.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Naruto's hand tightened around the strap of his gym bag as he walked up the steps to his apartment. He'd driven straight home from Itachi's apartment, glad he'd been able to hold onto his temper enough to focus on his driving to not crashing his fucking car. All he could think about was what was likely happening in Itachi's apartment right now. A dark laugh that escaped him. He never thought anyone could ever make him regret his principles, but Itachi had somehow managed it.

" _Fuck_ him," Naruto growled. He shoved his key into the lock, wrenching his door open then slamming it closed, not caring for once if his neighbors complained. It wasn't _that_ late. He threw his gym bag down on the floor next to the door, staring at it for a moment, clenching and unclenching his fists. He forced himself to breathe, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back against the door with a dull thud.

He'd done the right thing. Even if he'd had sex with Itachi, it would only have made things that much worse. Itachi would still be with Sasuke and Naruto would still be alone. Alone and disgusted with himself, if he'd gone through with it. But he hadn't. He'd resisted, and managed to leave with his pride intact.

He toed off his shoes and walked over to his small living room, where his heavy punching bag hung in the corner. He was still dressed in his gym clothes, the loose sweat pants riding low on his hips, the thin cotton T-shirt hugging his broad, lean shoulders. He stood still in front of the punching bag for a moment, considering it, then threw his first punch. Then a second. They each landed with a hard sound, the chain at the top of the bag jangling with the force of his blows. He didn't bother taping his knuckles as he laid into it, landing one brutal punch after another. He could feel the worn vinyl of the bag abrading his skin with each strike, but he didn't care how bloody his knuckles would be by the end of it all.

He wanted it to hurt.

He needed the physical pain to help dull the emotional pain and give him something else to focus on. Tomorrow he'd go to work and give Shino all of Itachi's information. If Itachi still wanted a personal trainer, that is. Naruto wasn't even sure anymore. He didn't know what was real and what was just part of Itachi's fucking _game._ Maybe the whole point of everything had just been to mess with Naruto. His temper surged at the thought and his punches became more brutal.

He didn't want to think about it anymore. He didn't want to feel anything anymore. All those months of pretending he wasn't thinking about Sasuke were crashing back on him, combining with the memories of all the subtle invitations and innuendos Itachi had thrown his way. He felt like such an _idiot_ and tried to not imagine Itachi and Sasuke smirking about his naïveté together.

As Naruto increased the intensity of his punches, smears of blood from his knuckles left a trail of tangible prints on the bag.

He didn't care.

He didn't stop.

It was more than an hour later when Naruto finally staggered into his bathroom, soaked with sweat, his hands torn and bloody. He turned on the shower, stripping off his clothes and throwing them in the corner. He'd deal with everything else in the morning. He was too exhausted to think. Too exhausted to feel.

Exactly as he needed to be in that moment.

He scrubbed himself clean and loosely bandaged his hands before collapsing into bed. He'd deal with the rest of the mess in the morning.

* * *

Naruto woke up to an aching body. It had been a long time since he'd pushed himself that hard. He glanced down at the bandages on his hands, regretting that he hadn't put any salve on them the night before.

Stupid. Just one more stupid thing he'd done piled on top of the _mountain_ of stupid shit he'd been doing since he met Sasuke. But all that was done now.

He sighed, scrubbing his bandaged hands over his face. It was time for him to stop living in a fantasy world. He'd known from the very beginning that Sasuke and Itachi were out of his league. Who had he been kidding? Even if they hadn't hooked up with each other, he knew it would have been nothing more than a one-time fuck with either of them. What did he have to really offer either of them?

Nothing. It was time for him to move on.

He got up and dressed, knowing his first appointment wasn't until eight since Itachi had cancelled their early morning session. He didn't want to let himself think about the fact that Itachi and Sasuke were probably still asleep in bed, tangled together after a night of mind-blowing sex.

It wasn't his business anymore. It never really had been.

He carefully dressed the cuts on his hands, then headed to work. Most of his appointments today would be at the gym, so he'd be able to talk with Lee and Shino about switching Itachi to someone else.

* * *

Gaara was just finishing up with his first client when Naruto walked in. Lee was running next to his client on the treadmill.

Gaara lifted his chin in the standard 'sup greeting, then his eyes landed on Naruto's bandaged hands.

"Just give me twelve more reps. I'll be right back." Gaara left his client working on the military press machine and headed over to Naruto, his eyes moving from the bandages to lock on Naruto's face. "What happened to your hands?"

Naruto shrugged setting his bag in the corner of the room. "I got a little carried away on the bag last night. Is Shino in? I need to talk with him about swapping clients."

Gaara frowned. "Is your client the reason your hands look like dog meat?"

Naruto didn't reply, basically giving Gaara his answer.

Gaara's eyes went cold and Naruto could see the way the redhead's body tensed. "Who do you need to swap?"

Despite everything, Naruto grinned. Gaara had joined their group only a year or two ago, but he and Naruto had become fast friends. Naruto had learned early that Gaara took friendship very seriously. "You know, it's bad for business if you kill our clients. It's fine. Don't worry about it. Just a difference in… working style."

Gaara didn't look fooled, narrowing his eyes. Naruto laughed. He honestly didn't know why everyone folded when Gaara gave them his glare. Naruto just thought it was kind of sweet.

" _Seriously,_ man. It's fine. I just… I just got a little carried away last night. I'm good."

Gaara blew out a small breath, glancing over as his client finished his last set. "Stretch then hit the showers," Gaara told him. He turned back to Naruto, watching as his friend set up the free weights for his first client.

"Are you going to stand around and hover all day?" Naruto asked, his amusement fading. He was hoping work would take his mind _off_ his troubles, not make him talk about it. Luckily, Gaara was fairly adept at reading his moods.

"Fine. Just let me know if you need me to handle anything."

Shino walked over to join them, looking at his schedule to see who his next client would be.

"I'm going to finish my schedule for today, then go get hammered. Tomorrow I'll be fine," Naruto said, wrapping tape around his hands to cover the bandages.

Shino raised an eyebrow, but Naruto just shook his head. His next client had just walked in. There wasn't time to discuss it now. "Hey, Shino. I need to swap clients with you. Your Friday morning for mine?"

Shino glanced at Gaara, back to Naruto, then nodded. "Sure. Just text me the profile."

Naruto breathed out a sigh of relief while giving a short nod to Shino. It was done.

* * *

"Can I help you, Mr. Uchiha?"

Itachi frowned as the man with the jet black hair and insanely high energy levels continued doing pull-ups without breaking stride.

"I'd like to speak with Naruto," Itachi said calmly. Sasuke's eyes scanned the gym, but the blond man was nowhere to be seen. There was a red-head that was watching them from across the room. Something about the intensity of the green-eyed stare irritated Sasuke. He glared back at the man, but surprisingly, the guy didn't look away.

"Naruto's gone for the day. His last two appointments today were at the clients' homes," Lee said, his voice coming out cheerful despite his physical activity.

"Doesn't he usually come back to store his equipment?" Itachi asked.

"Usually," Lee said, unconcerned about the level of familiarity that Itachi seemed to have about Naruto's schedule. "But he said he had plans tonight and wanted time to get ready. He took tomorrow morning off, too. Shino and Gaara are going to take his morning clients." The man continued his reps. "But not to worry, Mr. Uchiha. Naruto gave Shino your profile. He will have everything ready in time for your appointment next week. If you'd like, I can arrange a meeting for the two of you before then."

"No," Itachi said smoothly. "But there is something I need to give to Naruto. He left before I could last night."

Sasuke gave Itachi a sharp look, but Lee missed it as he focused on his own workout.

"You could give it to me instead. I'll be sure to pass it along," Lee offered helpfully. Sasuke began to cough.

"No, thank you," Itachi politely declined, shooting Sasuke a look. "I would prefer to give it to him in person. I don't have Naruto's address, but I'd be happy to take it to him at his home."

Lee paused at this, releasing the bar and dropping down, looking at Itachi seriously for the first time. "We don't give out the personal addresses of any of our trainers. Is there something going on?"

Itachi smiled disarmingly. "Not at all. I just wanted to leave him a tip for all the work he's done with me so far. I'll catch up with him next week."

Lee nodded, clearly not convinced. Both Lee and Gaara watched the brothers leave the gym, their expressions stony.

* * *

Sasuke and Itachi left and headed to Itachi's car.

" _Call_ him," Sasuke said, his voice irritated.

"He didn't return my text. I doubt he'll take my call," Itachi said, dialing anyway. He hung up when it went to voicemail.

"Fuck." Sasuke ran his hand through his hair, looking stressed. Neither man had wanted to confront Naruto at work but they didn't have his address and so they had decided to try to catch him on his way out of the gym at the end of the day. Waiting any longer had been out of the question given how things had ended the night before. Unfortunately, Naruto wasn't cooperating with their plan.

"He said once he lived within walking distance from the gym," Itachi mentioned, looking around at the nearby buildings, trying to see which were apartments and which were businesses and scanning the streets for Naruto's car.

"And he told me his apartment was on the beach," Sasuke scanned the area as he pulled out his own phone. "Give me Naruto's number. He doesn't know my number."

When he fared no better than Itachi, Sasuke turned to glare at his brother. "Couldn't you have found a better way of handling this with him?"

Itachi glared back. "You're the one who showed up early, before I had a chance to talk with him and explain things."

"You had three fucking _months_ to explain things to him!"

Itachi sighed, his hands gripping the steering wheel, his jaw clenched. It took Sasuke a moment to realize that Itachi was truly upset about the situation. This really wasn't a game to him.

"You really like him, don't you?"

Itachi turned sharply. "Do you think I would do this if I didn't? You're the one who has the all the casual relationships, Sasuke. Not me. Why would I risk letting anyone know the nature of our relationship if I wasn't serious?"

Hearing his brother laying it out that way calmed Sasuke. He didn't want Naruto for some sort of three-some thrill. The man had honestly changed Sasuke's life and he wanted Naruto to be a part of it. Evidently, Itachi felt the same.

Somehow, they were going to make this work. They just needed the idiot to actually listen to them.

But first, they had to find him.

* * *

_Naruto. We need to talk._

Naruto had seen the text from Itachi's number earlier that day and ignored it. He was more than aware of just how close he had come to breaking all of his principles the other day. Things he'd never thought he would even considered doing. He was disappointed in his own weakness but he would not give it a chance to happen again. He wanted to believe that he would have been strong enough to turn Itachi down if Sasuke hadn't walked in when he had, but the truth was he really didn't know. And that both scared the shit out of him and pissed him off.

So now, he was going to go out and get the fuck over it.

He walked over to his closet, jaw clenched as he dug through his clothing to find something to wear. He was going to go out tonight and he was going to find someone who appealed to him and he was going to have the 'no strings' one-night stand that he had told himself he _should_ have had with Sasuke. This time, he would make sure he wasn't anywhere near sober enough to be so picky.

He was young, he was attractive, and had only recently discovered he actually _liked_ sex. He needed to look at this as finally being free of his obsession with Sasuke and Itachi. Now that he knew they were both unavailable, it would give him the chance to break free of any lingering hope that somehow things would happen and he could find someone realistic.

What was the saying? Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. That needed to be his motto for tonight. He would settle for 'good' and finally break this fixation.

He pulled out a pair of tight black jeans and a mesh tank top. He briefly thought about calling Gaara and borrowing something more provocative but in the end, he needed to still be comfortable in his own skin.

Naruto's phone rang and he saw Itachi's number flash up on the screen. He looked at the number, feeling the usual tension low in his belly that the prospect of hearing Itachi's voice always brought, but Naruto didn't answer it. He thought briefly about just telling Itachi to fuck off but somehow it just seemed safer to avoid him altogether. Itachi was a smart guy. He'd get the message soon enough. Besides, Itachi had better things to do than stalk Naruto.

Like fuck his little brother.

Naruto shut down the bitter thought. He didn't really care that Itachi and Sasuke were brothers, and he knew he was just being spiteful for the way things had gone down. He clicked on the number, hesitating for just a moment before blocking it. Then he grabbed the clothes he'd pulled out and headed to the bathroom to shower and get ready.

He didn't hear when his phone rang again, an unfamiliar New York number appearing on the screen. But it wouldn't have mattered, since he wouldn't have picked it up anyway.

* * *

Naruto sat at the bar, his fifth shot sliding down just as easily as his first. He'd made it clear to anyone who had tried to approach him when he'd first arrived that he wanted to drink first. He wasn't in any kind of emotional state to handle socializing sober.

At this point, he didn't really care who he ended up going home with. All he really wanted to do was get wasted and laid, and forget he'd ever met anyone with the last name Uchiha. His hand tightened around his shot glass and he set it down before it cracked.

The gay club was one that Shino had recommended, as being one of the better ones in town. It wasn't a particularly hard core place, more of a dance club, though there were plenty of dark alcoves for people to hook up along with a VIP room upstairs.

Naruto had absolutely no interest in the VIP room. He'd had enough of rich, mind-fucking assholes for one lifetime. He signaled the bartender for another shot, deciding he would hit the dance floor after that one. He looked out across the room, letting the feel of the music wash over him. There was definitely no shortage of hot people in L.A., and he was pretty sure he could find someone who would be interesting enough to get him through the night.

He didn't feel particularly great about the option but he needed to break himself of the notion that his sexuality was wrapped up in Sasuke and Itachi. Yes, Sasuke had been the one to show Naruto he was gay, and yes, Itachi had been the only other man Naruto had ever felt sexually drawn to, but that didn't mean he had to give up on any sort of sex life now that the two of them were together. His libido wasn't nonexistent and it was ridiculous to stop having sex entirely just because he couldn't have the absolute perfect lover.

He just needed to get grounded back in reality. Naruto's old hang-up about avoiding one night stands had faded a bit after his encounter with Sasuke. And, as Sasuke had told him a year ago, people don't go to a club looking to 'find their fucking soul mate'. Naruto wouldn't have to worry about hurting someone's feelings if all it lasted was for a night for him to work himself through his rebound. That was the norm. _He_ was the one more likely to get hurt.

As the past had proven out.

Naruto sneered at himself before finishing the shot. The room was spinning pleasantly, and his body felt flushed and relaxed. Naruto had noticed a man with golden eyes and brown hair who had been watching him for a while, but the guy had obviously had the sense to not approach until Naruto had given some sign of wanting company.

Naruto turned and finally met his gaze, letting his eyes slide over the man's lean form. The black leather pants the man was wearing hugged his ass and thighs and gave Naruto a pretty good idea of the body beneath them. He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt and Naruto could appreciate the toned arms that he was showing off.

The leather-clad man released the hips of his current dance partner and made his way over to Naruto.

"I wasn't sure if you were going to be interested in doing more than drinking tonight," the man said, leaning on the bar next to Naruto. There was a casual confidence that - for just a moment - reminded Naruto of Sasuke, but he turned the thought away and gave the man a lopsided grin.

"It's been a rough couple of days. I guess I needed to relax a little on my own before I'd be ready for company."

The man's eyes roamed over Naruto's cut form. He signaled the bartender to bring them another round. "And did it help?"

Naruto turned on his stool to fully face the man, letting his knee brush against the leather-clad thigh. "I guess I'll let you be the judge of that." He leaned back against the bar, feeling the alcohol heating his blood, relaxing him completely.

"My name's Utakata." Pale, slender fingers picked up one of the two shots that the bartender set down in front of them.

Naruto lifted the other, returning the greeting. "Naruto."

They both finished their drinks in one swallow, then Utakata, pushed both their glasses aside, his gaze darkening as he looked at Naruto. "Dance with me."

Utakata's voice was smooth and low, and Naruto didn't hesitate to follow him onto the dance floor. All the alcohol that Naruto had consumed in a relatively short period of time didn't help his coordination but Utakata had pressed close, making the range of motion of their bodies relatively small.

Naruto closed his eyes, letting his head swim dizzily as he breathed in the slightly musky scent of the man pressed against him. Utakata's hands slid down over Naruto's lower back and rested just on the upper edge of his hip bones, bringing their bodies close enough that they occasionally grazed against each other but weren't pressed flush.

Naruto opened his eyes, seeing brown eyes focused intently on his face. He realized hazily that the man he was dancing with appeared to be completely sober, but he shrugged it off. Even if the guy had been watching him, waiting for Naruto to get drunk enough to make his move, it didn't bother Naruto. After all, he had been drinking for that exact purpose himself.

"I haven't seen you here before," Utakata said, bringing his lips down closer to Naruto's ear to be heard over the music, brushing them against the sensitive skin of Naruto's throat before lifting his head slightly.

Naruto had settled his hands on the man's hips as well and pulled him closer, making full contact with their bodies. "I don't go out much."

Utakata's smile darkened. "Then I guess I'll consider myself lucky tonight."

They danced for several more songs, their bodies moving more aggressively against each other. Naruto could feel Utakata's erection pressed against his groin, and vaguely realized the man was maneuvering him to the back of the room.

For the first time in his sexual life, Naruto was letting himself be passive in the act of seduction. He responded, but didn't initiate. He felt his back press against the cool, rough wall, his head spinning so much that he was almost grateful for its support. His eyes drifted open, then closed as Utakata kissed him, pressing Naruto's lips open and groaning into his mouth. Naruto felt the man's skilled hands sliding over his body, the increased urgency in the cadence of the thrusting of Utakata's hips. The sounds of the groans and appreciative murmurs coming from the man assured Naruto that the guy was definitely getting what he wanted.

" _Ugn,_ god, I've been watching you all fucking night," Utakata murmured into Naruto's ear.

Naruto's own body was responding somewhat, a natural reaction given that it had been nine months since he'd had sex, but he felt… detached from it. Like he was casually observing someone else who happened to look exactly like him hooking up in the back of the club. He was vaguely aware of hands opening the fly of his jeans and wondered if they were in a secluded enough place of the club or if they were being watched. He supposed he should be more concerned about whether they were actually going to fuck right there, but he just couldn't bring himself to care. One of Utakata's hands was braced just above Naruto's shoulder, his body pressing hard against him, pinning him up against the wall. Just as the slender hand was sliding down the front of his boxers, the body pressing against him suddenly disappeared.

"What the fuck?" The anger in Utakata's voice had Naruto's eyes snapping open.

"Leave. Now." Sasuke had Utakata by the shoulder, his eyes blazing with anger. Itachi stood beside him, his eyes cold and hard.

Utakata shoved Sasuke's hand from his shoulder. "I don't know you. You're interrupting."

Naruto blinked, his head feeling almost too heavy to lift. He remained leaning heavily against the wall, not caring that people were starting to stare at them and his fly was still open.

"Naruto. Let's go," Itachi's voice held a controlled fury that made Naruto's stomach tighten, but it definitely wasn't out of fear.

"What're you doing here?" Naruto could hear the slurring in his words, but he didn't particularly care at the moment.

Sasuke snorted in annoyance. "You're wasted."

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "And you're interrupting."

Utakata smirked, stepping away from Sasuke's grasp and putting his hand possessively around Naruto's waist. Two sets of Uchiha eyes narrowed dangerously.

Sasuke took a step closer to Utakata. "Leave. Now."

Utakata stood his ground. "He doesn't seem to want me to."

"He's drunk," Sasuke growled.

"He's an adult, making his own decision," Utakata countered.

Naruto got annoyed by the two men discussing him as though he weren't even there. "Fuck you both." He levered himself away from the wall, freeing himself from Utakata's hold and stumbling slightly.

"Why are you even here? I'm not interested in having it rubbed in my face. Can't you at least let me move on?" Naruto looked first at Sasuke, then settled his gaze on Itachi. Seeing the two of them had erased all interest in Utakata. "Stop fucking with me! Shit. I'm leaving. You three can continue your dick measuring contest without me. Just fuck all of you."

Naruto fumblingly zipped up his jeans as he made his way back through the crowded dance floor when he felt a hand vice around his upper arm. He turned, his fist swinging out of reflex, but it was caught by Itachi's hand. "Naruto. We need to talk."

Itachi's calm voice infuriated Naruto. He was just so tired of everything. "I don't _want_ to talk about it. You want to apologize to me for playing me along, then fine. Consider yourself forgiven and let me just move on with my fucking life."

"No."

Naruto realized that Itachi hadn't released his grip on Naruto's arm when he found himself pulled flush against Itachi's body.

"What… what do you mean, _no_?"

"No, I don't want to apologize. No, I wasn't playing you along. And no, I won't let you move on. Not until you've heard us out."

Naruto tried to get his mind to stay focused on Itachi's words and not the heat and scent of the man he was pulled up against.

"Not here. We agreed take him back to the apartment," Sasuke was suddenly beside him, and Naruto felt the familiar hand settle into the small of his back. "He needs to sober up."

"God, I hope I hurl all over both of you," Naruto muttered as Itachi and Sasuke forcibly guided him towards the club exit.

"Don't even think about it," Sasuke growled, but there was definitely an amused light in his eyes.

Itachi pulled out his phone and called the car they'd had waiting for them as they searched the gay clubs on the strip while Sasuke continued to guide Naruto to the exit.

Naruto stumbled as they walked past the bar, grabbing a stool to find his balance as Sasuke tightened his grip on his arm. The motion drew attention to the bandages on Naruto's hands. Sasuke grabbed one, glancing at the matching wrap on the other.

"What happened to you?"

Naruto jerked his hand free from Sasuke's grip. "Fuck you."

Sasuke sighed, pulling Naruto closer. "If you weren't so drunk, I might just do that."

The blend of lust and anger in Sasuke's voice made Naruto look up at him, trying to get his fogged mind to focus. He turned to see Itachi looking at him with a matching expression. "Shit."

He felt two pairs of hands on him as he was guided out the front door of the club, barely registering as a man opened the door to a waiting limo and he found himself pushed inside.

* * *

The door to the limo closed with a muted click, and all the sounds of the street and club were silenced. There was a low, electronic whirring as the glass that separated the driver from the passengers was raised and the car slowly pulled out into the heavy Saturday night L.A. traffic.

Naruto drew his gaze away from the tinted glass to find two sets of black eyes watching him intently.

"Ok, so… do you make a habit of kidnaping your personal trainers?" Naruto looked first at Itachi, then Sasuke. "Or your past one-time fucks?"

Sasuke growled at the characterization, accurate though it might have once been. "You're not here as a one-time fuck, idiot."

Naruto looked at him, his blue eyes glazed with alcohol, but the anger and hurt still showing through. "Then what am I here for? The fuck is _wrong_ with you two? I was finally having a good time and -"

"A good time? You're so drunk you can hardly stand, letting some guy you don't even know maul you while you just stood there. Don't tell me you were having a good time, Naruto. I can sure as fuck tell the difference between letting it happen and actively participating." Sasuke's voice was hard and angry.

And it pissed Naruto off. "Who the fuck are you to tell me what I want, or what I like? We had sex once, almost a _year_ ago. You don't know anything about me."

Sasuke wouldn't admit it, but the words cut.

Itachi's voice was deep and calm. "I've known you for three months, Naruto. Are you going to say that I don't know you either?"

Naruto didn't know why he felt so desperately angry, but his head was swimming and he couldn't make sense of what was happening. The night had suddenly been turned upside down and he didn't know how to regain his grasp of things.

"I was your trainer, Itachi. That's all. Then you go with all the bullshit about… about…" Naruto threw his hand up, unsure how to articulate what it had seemed Itachi had been trying to suggest before Naruto had left the night before.

Itachi took one of Naruto's hands, looking at it for a moment before slowly undoing the bandage. "About you being in a relationship with Sasuke and me?"

Naruto froze and could only watch as Itachi slowly unwound the bandages from Naruto's hand, revealing the angry, reddened knuckles beneath them.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Itachi's voice was sincere as he looked at the wounded skin.

Naruto's lungs stopped working. He looked over to where Sasuke's face was showing equal surprise. Itachi was not a man who took apologies lightly.

"I thought I would have more time to discuss things with you last night. I never intended for you to leave like that. I had wanted to try to explain the situation before Sasuke came."

Naruto suddenly wished his mind would focus. Instinctively, he realized this was a conversation that he needed to be able to pay attention to. "Situation?"

He felt both men's eyes on him with an undisguised intensity. He became acutely aware of his leg pressed against Sasuke's thigh.

"You didn't appear to have an issue with the nature of the… relationship Sasuke and I have with each other," Itachi began, watching Naruto's unguarded face closely.

"You mean the fact that you're brothers and sleeping together?" Naruto's voice held a bitter edge, but not disgust or disapproval. "Who you sleep with is your business." Naruto abruptly remembered that they had pulled him away from his own potential partner for the evening. "Just like who I sleep with is supposed to be _my_ business."

He felt Sasuke stiffen beside him. "You're taking too long, Itachi. Just get to the point."

"Sasuke -" Itachi warned, but Naruto cut him off.

"No, he's right. Just cut to the chase, Itachi. Then let me the fuck out."

"What, so you can go back to the loser you were letting pin you to the wall?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

Naruto laughed. "Oh, that's rich. Coming from the guy who's fucked half of New York."

Sasuke turned and leveled an angry glare at Naruto. "What did you say?"

"You heard me. What, did you really expect me to just never have sex again after we slept together? Seriously, you've got some ego."

Sasuke leaned forward, pushing Naruto against the back of the seat. "But you didn't, did you? You didn't have sex with anyone after me. That's what you told Itachi."

The smug look on Sasuke's face had Naruto's temper flaring. "Maybe I did and didn't want to tell your brother about it. Why should it matter? You're just going to go home and fuck your brother. I can have sex with whoever I want, Sasuke."

"And who do you _want_ , Naruto?" Sasuke asked, his lips less than an inch from Naruto's. "That guy back in the club? Don't make me laugh. If you hadn't been this drunk, you wouldn't have given him the time of day."

Naruto realized that the anger that had been pumping through him was rapidly changing into something equally volatile, but infinitely more foolish.

"Shut up," he tried to push himself further back in the seat and put a little space between him and Sasuke's body, hoping his brain would come back to life and help him out a little.

Sasuke just looked at him with a knowing smirk and slid a hand up Naruto's thigh. "Were you even hard? He looked pretty worked up but you looked like you were just counting ceiling tiles."

Sasuke's hand inched further up Naruto's leg. Naruto could feel Itachi's eyes watching. Naruto had expected Itachi to be unhappy with the way Sasuke was touching him, but if Naruto could read any emotion at all in Itachi's dark eyes, it would be…. lust.

Naruto's attention was drawn back to Sasuke as he felt Sasuke's lips brush against his jawline. A wave of dizziness washed through him at the sheer heat that surged through his body. He didn't even realized it when he let his head fall back, giving Sasuke more access.

The dark chuckle that came from Sasuke's throat pissed him off, but Naruto wasn't able to think too much about it when he felt a hand slide up to the erection that was rapidly forming between his thighs. "You're hard for me, Naruto. He already had your pants unzipped and you weren't this hard for him. I've barely touched you."

"Fuck!" Naruto panted out, closing his eyes and arching slightly as Sasuke's hand pressed more firmly, two strokes bringing him to full hardness.

"Do you really want to go back to him?" Sasuke's words slid over the skin at Naruto's throat.

Naruto found his mouth opening to say no when his hazed mind remembered he was seriously pissed off with the two people in the car with him. His eyes snapped open and he planted the palm of his hand firmly in the middle of Sasuke's chest and shoved him back, hard.

"Honestly? I'd rather be going home with anyone that isn't named Uchiha," Naruto lashed out.

Itachi sighed, giving Sasuke a disparaging look. "You always rush your fences, Otouto."

Sasuke glared at Itachi, but took his seat across from Naruto, giving the blond some breathing room while Naruto glared at him.

"Hear us out, Naruto. Give us one hour to explain everything to you. You can ask us anything you want and we will answer completely honestly," Itachi's voice was smooth and calm.

Naruto stopped glaring at Sasuke and looked over to meet Itachi's gaze. Itachi was always hard to read, but in Naruto's hazy state, he almost thought Itachi looked… nervous. Naruto brushed thought off as being a result of too much alcohol. "Fine. It's not like you're exactly giving me a choice. But I need some fucking coffee first."

Sasuke gave an annoyed huff, though the relief that flashed through his dark eyes was unmistakable.

Naruto turned his head to the window, his eyes drifting closed as he watched the streetlights go by.

* * *

_to be continued..._

**A/N:** Next chapter will be 'the main event'. This is the part I am re-working, so it won't be up as fast as the other chapters were. But it won't be too long, since I'm only changing a few things, not rewriting it totally.


	5. Give it a try

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the main things that makes me CRAZY reading SIN fics is that usually one of the three (usually Naruto but sometimes Sasuke) just turns into a living blow-up doll for the other two to fuck all day long with no actual personality aside from 'horny and needy'. I don't think that dynamic fits any of them (and I think it would piss the other two off, tbh) so I didn't do it here. Not that they aren't each horny and needy AT TIMES, but they have personalities (even during sex) aside from that. If that makes sense? Anyway, read it and let me know LOLOL.

**Chapter 5 -**

Naruto realized before he even opened his eyes that he was not in his own bed.  The pillowcase against his cheek was silk, not cotton.  The sheets had the scent of fabric softener and a masculine shampoo that Naruto’s brain didn’t fully recognize.  Memories of the club and the car slammed into him, causing his eyes to shoot open.

_Holy shit, this must be Itachi’s bed._

The bed was… enormous.  It wasn’t even like a normal king-sized bed and Naruto wondered stupidly if Itachi had to have all his sheets custom made.  There was no light coming in around the edges of the dark red curtains that covered the large windows in the room, so it must still be night. He could hear male voices coming from the open doorway, which he assumed to mean that Sasuke and Itachi were still up.  And Naruto had promised to give Itachi an hour to fully hear out whatever the man had to say.

Naruto ignored the way his stomach flipped at the thought of what it might be, writing the sensation off as the after effects of too much alcohol, though he was mostly sober now.  The lamp on the bedside table cast a low light letting Naruto easily see the door to the attached bathroom off Itachi’s room.  Naruto lay there for a moment and scrubbed his bandaged hands over his face trying to get himself alert enough to deal with whatever was going to happen, though he didn’t fool himself into thinking he would be any match against Itachi if they were going to play head games.  But Naruto wasn’t going to be played a fool, either.

He rolled himself from the bed, noticing his feet were bare but otherwise he was fully clothed which was reassuring given what had happened in the car.  He vaguely remembered removing his shoes when Sasuke and Itachi had brought him in, but after that it was a bit of a blur, so he assumed he had passed out.  He walked to the bathroom, closing and locking the door before relieving himself and washing his face and hands.  He didn’t feel like rummaging around to look for a clean toothbrush but his mouth tasted terrible so he just rinsed with Itachi’s mouthwash before raking his fingers through his hair.  He knew he was stalling but he figured he deserved it, given that his night had turned out just about as far as possible from what he’d been planning.

He took a steadying breath then opened the door to find Sasuke waiting for him.  

“Sober enough to talk?”  Sasuke asked, his gaze inscrutable.

Naruto shrugged.  “Yeah.  How long was I out?”

“About an hour,” Sasuke said skeptically, clearly not buying Naruto’s claim of full sobriety.

“I’ve always had a fast liver.  I’m good.  That offer for coffee still on, though?”

Relief flickered on Sasuke’s face and Naruto wondered if the man hadn’t been sure how much of the conversation in the car Naruto would remember. Itachi appeared in the doorway bearing a white porcelain mug full of steaming coffee.  Naruto accepted it gratefully, taking a careful sip, his eyes widening slightly when he realized it was exactly the way he liked it.

“Thanks,” Naruto said, suddenly feeling nervous with the two Uchihas in the room with him and the enormous bed.  He kept his gaze carefully trained away from that singularly distracting piece of furniture.  “So, uh… I’m guessing that me sleeping doesn’t count as the hour you wanted me to listen to what you had to say, so…”

Itachi’s lips twitched into a slight smile.  “No.  Let’s go into the living room so we can talk more comfortably.”

Naruto’s eyes jerked to the bed and he wondered if his nerves had been obvious.  The amused look on Sasuke’s face said that _yes_ , it had been.  But he was still grateful.  

Itachi sat in one of the padded leather chairs and Sasuke in the other, leaving Naruto to sit on the in the middle of the large leather couch by himself, the brothers flanking him in the chairs on either side.  He felt like somehow the seating had been discussed in advance between the brothers but he didn’t really know why he felt that way.

Naruto blew out a short breath, “Ok, so… you wanted to talk?  About something that was so important that it couldn’t wait until Monday.”  He was still a bit annoyed at the high-handed way the Uchihas had waltzed into the club and basically dragged him out, and he felt no need to hide that fact.

“Tch,” temper flared in Sasuke’s eyes but a look from Itachi caused Sasuke to cut off.

“Naruto.  What do you think I was trying to talk to you about before Sasuke arrived last night?”  Itachi asked.

Naruto ran the tip of his tongue over his lower lip, darting a nervous glance at Sasuke.  “It seemed like… like you were trying to convince me that you, uh, wanted to have sex with me and that your boyfriend would be ok with it.”

Naruto waited for some sort of explosion from Sasuke but the younger Uchiha simply looked at him with no expression at all.  The lack of any anger from Sasuke on this threw Naruto, especially given how fuming Sasuke had been the night before.

“You thought I was just asking you to have sex with me?”  Itachi asked.

Naruto shifted.  “Well, I mean… yeah.  You were saying all this stuff about… things you _admire_ about me, which is just… I mean, that’s gotta be total bullshit because…” Naruto gestured to Itachi's expensive living room. “Of the two of us, it’s pretty clear who the more impressive one is.  By a fucking _long-_ shot.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto but this time it was Itachi’s eyes that flared with anger.  

“Naruto -,” Sasuke began, but Itachi cut him off.

“I know you well enough to know that money is not what you admire, Naruto,” Itachi pinned Naruto to the sofa with his gaze.  “Why would you assume I would apply a metric you care nothing about to justify which of us is more admirable?”

Naruto glanced down at his coffee, wishing it were laced with whiskey.  This was not the direction he had expected the conversation to take.  He had been braced for possible seduction.  Or a ‘request’ to keep his knowledge about Sasuke and Itachi’s relationship private.  He hadn’t expected… whatever the fuck _this_ was about.

“I… come on, Itachi.  Just because I don’t really give a shit about money doesn’t mean that I’m not aware of the fact that basically _everyone else_ does.  There’s a reason that people talk about ‘social circles’.  And we are definitely not in the same ones.  Either of us,” Naruto shot a look over at Sasuke.

“Ah, I see,” Itachi took a sip of his coffee.  “Because, obviously, my brother and I are very concerned about what society as a whole thinks about the people we choose to date and let that define our relationships for us.”

Naruto coughed on his coffee.  Ok, maybe he’d need to concede that point.

“Dumbass,” Sasuke said, setting his cup down and looking annoyed.  

“Hey, I didn’t see you wanting to have anything with me other than one night in a hotel room, Sasuke.  Don’t play it out now like you suddenly ‘admire me so much’, or whatever,” Naruto scoffed, feeling defensive and unsettled and trying really hard to not feel like he was somehow being an idiot.  “We fucked once.  That’s it.”

Sasuke stilled slightly in his chair.  “That’s because you left before I woke up.”

The seriousness in his tone made Naruto pause, surprise stopping his mind from fully processing what Sasuke had just implied.  Because… that was just a stupid fantasy Naruto had indulged in.  Wasn’t it? “But… you said… Suigetsu told Kiba to make sure that I knew that you didn’t ‘do’ morning afters.”

Itachi’s jaw clenched, reminding Naruto of the conversation he’d had with Itachi about Sasuke’s ‘dating behavior’.  

“That’s exactly the point, Naruto.  Before you, I _didn’t_ ,” Sasuke bit out.  “I’ve slept with men who are in my ‘social circle’, and I never once tried to track down their friends and ask for their numbers or last name or _anything_ that I could use to fucking find them.  I never once considered actually going against someone’s express wish to keep it anonymous and track them down online and find them.”

Naruto’s eyes widened and he felt almost… disoriented at what Sasuke was saying.  All those months when Naruto had entertained himself with the (completely impossible) fantasy that Sasuke had woken up and changed his mind, that maybe Sasuke was trying to find him… had been _right?_  But Kiba would have… Kiba would have _told_ him, right?  If Sasuke had been looking for him?

Itachi set his coffee cup down on the table, taking in the look of sheer shock and disbelief clearly written across Naruto’s face.  “Evidently you had been… quite clear with your friend ‘Kiba’ that he was under no circumstances allowed to offer any additional information about you to Sasuke or anyone who asked him.  Something about you being a paranoid conspiracy theorist and Kiba valuing his balls, along with a chance with some woman named Hinata that you evidently hold sway with?”

Naruto hadn’t taken his eyes from Sasuke, their eyes locked as Naruto read the truth of the situation in Sasuke’s dark gaze.  “So you… you looked for me?”  Naruto’s voice was uncertain.

“Tch,” Sasuke looked away, his expression still annoyed but a slight flush of red edged his cheek bones.

“Sasuke respected your decision to ‘keep things simple’,” Itachi stated.  “So he didn’t try to find you after talking with Kiba.”

Naruto finally turned to look at the elder brother.  “But you did.”  It was a simple statement of fact and Naruto felt no anger about it. He was too shocked to really feel anything at all at this point.

Itachi shrugged, completely at ease with the slightly accusatory statement.  “Yes.”

“So… did you find me for Sasuke?”  Naruto asked, feeling a flush of embarrassment that maybe he had read Itachi’s flirting horribly wrong and Itachi really wasn’t attracted to him and instead was just wanting to give his ‘seal of approval’ for Sasuke to have a little side action.  The thought made him feel slightly queasy.

“God, you are such a moron,” Sasuke stated, shifting his legs slightly wider apart.  “You project all the ridiculous shit you’re thinking all over your face.  Itachi tracked you down because he figured you had somehow just fooled me into thinking you were something that you weren’t.  He met you and got sucked in exactly the same way I did.”  Sasuke threw Itachi a smug look.  “He felt so superior when he set off to track you down… he was so sure that you’d played me.  But you went and knocked him on his pompous, controlling ass.”

Naruto blinked, not sure if Sasuke was talking about sex or fighting, but either way...  “But I didn’t… Itachi and I never -”

“I’m not talking about sex, you idiot,” Sasuke gave an exasperated eye roll.  “Jesus, you’d never even _fucked_ a guy before, Naruto.  If all we wanted was someone good in bed, don’t you think we’d look for someone with more actual _experience_?”

Naruto bristled.  “Yeah, this from the guy who came so many times he _passed out_ the last time I fucked him.”

Itachi looked over at Sasuke, intrigued.  “You didn’t mention that part, Otouto.”

Sasuke shifted, ignoring both Itachi Naruto’s comments entirely.  “The _point_ I’m making is that if all we wanted was sex, there are easier options.”

Naruto looked between the two brothers, trying to read the steady dark eyes watching him intently.  “You’re saying… you’re asking me to… be in some sort of relationship with both of you?  Together?”

“Give the man a prize,” Sasuke muttered, but he didn’t take his eyes from Naruto.

Naruto tried to not read too much into the offer.  “You mean like… the three of us hooking up sometimes?”

Itachi’s eyes flashed with temper, but he kept his face calm.  “I think you know me well enough to know I wouldn’t make an offer like that.  Especially not after knowing what I do of you.”

Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, who looked equally annoyed at the suggestion.

“Ok.  Then tell me what exactly it is that you are suggesting.”

“A relationship, dobe.  Like regular people have.  We have dinner, we do things together, we have sex.”

Naruto couldn’t help but laugh a little at the description.  “This from the guy who said that one night stands were just the ‘good parts’ of relationships without all the baggage?”

Itachi gave a humorous chuckle.  “Yes.  Well, you may not fully realize it but you had quite an effect on Sasuke, Naruto.”

Naruto’s eyes searched Sasuke’s face but the man was glaring at Itachi instead, avoiding Naruto’s look.

“We don’t need to rush into things,” Itachi said.  “Sasuke is moving to L.A.  We’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other better.”

Naruto didn’t feel the need to mention they’d gotten a hell of a jump start on that earlier that evening.

“Ok.  I guess… that sounds ok?”  Naruto didn’t really know what he was supposed to say.  It wasn’t like they were asking him to move in with them.  And he’d already shown he was more than comfortable with them both sexually.  At least, when he’d had enough to drink.  Though if he were honest with himself, the alcohol didn’t matter.

“Don’t seem so excited about it,” Sasuke said, leaning back in his chair as he sent Naruto a dry look.

“Look, I just don’t really know what to say.  If you’re asking me if I want to go on a date with the two of you or whatever then the answer is yes.  Obviously.”  Naruto looked over to Itachi, trying to read the man’s expression and failing.

“I think we’re doing more than asking if you want to go on a date,” Itachi clarified, taking a sip of his coffee.  “Especially since we would be… displeased… if you dated other people.”

Naruto’s eyes narrowed at the twin possessive looks directed at him.  “And would this _exclusivity_ run both ways?”

“It would just be the three of us,” Sasuke stated.

Naruto hesitated.  “Have you guys, uh, done this sort of thing before?”

Itachi arched an eyebrow.  “Most people wouldn’t be as accepting of the nature of my relationship with Sasuke.  Not to mention that I simply don’t find most people sufficiently interesting.  And you already know that no one managed to catch Sasuke’s interest outside of a single night before you, either.”

Naruto felt something warm coil low in his stomach at the look that both Itachi and Sasuke fixed on him.  Itachi’s words made sense in terms of how unlikely it was that they were making this offer to random guys on a regular basis.  But the part that made no sense at all to Naruto was why they had picked _him_.  

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Naruto leaned back on the couch.  “Why would you…”

“Remember what I told you yesterday, Naruto?” Itachi said, watching him steadily.  

Naruto looked slightly embarrassed at the memory of the things Itachi had said… how Itachi had admired him for his integrity and his empathy.  Things no one had ever said to him before.

“I don’t say things I don’t mean,” Itachi’s voice held an edge of warning.

Naruto swallowed, realizing that implying that Itachi would stoop to false flattery to get something he wanted would be pretty damn insulting to the man and definitely not in the man’s character.  But still… it just didn’t make sense.  These guys could have _anyone_.  Or just each other.  Why would they want Naruto?

Sasuke stood abruptly.  “Fuck this. You’re making it too complicated, Itachi,” Sasuke walked over to stand directly in front of where Naruto sat on the couch, then crouched down to eye level.  “Naruto.  If I had woken up before you left and asked for your number, would you have given it to me?”

Naruto looked at Sasuke like he was being stupid.  “Yeah.  I mean, I thought about calling you a million times, but, you know… Kiba had said you were pretty strict on the whole ‘no contact’ thing, so…”

Sasuke’s jaw tensed at the mention of Kiba’s name and Naruto decided he had to talk to Kiba to find out what had gone down between them at some point.  “Fine.  So you would have agreed to continue seeing me.  And Itachi said that you told him yesterday that - if he weren’t already in a relationship - you would have been interested in dating _him_.”

Naruto rubbed his hand along the back of his neck.  Was it creepy that he liked two brothers?  Probably.  But it didn’t really bother Naruto, since he’d fallen for them separately without ever realizing they were related.  They were all being honest here. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I said something about him being a cheating, mind-fucking asshole somewhere in there, too.”

Sasuke smirked.  “Hn, the cheating part isn’t true but I can’t really say anything about him not being a mind-fucking asshole.”

Itachi arched a brow, looking at Sasuke.  “You just don’t like competition in that arena.”

“Look, I get your point that I find both of you… attractive, or whatever, but…”

“And you don’t find yourself attracted to anyone else,” Itachi added.

“Unless you’ve downed half a bottle of tequila,” Sasuke cut in, his voice hardening.  Clearly he hadn’t quite gotten over the encounter in the club from earlier that evening.

Naruto pressed his lips together, not sure what he really wanted to say about that.

“The point is, Naruto...,” Sasuke leaned in, his eyes unrelenting.  “... you wanted each of us separately.  And you have no problem with Itachi and me being together.  So the only thing holding you back would be that you don’t think we’re serious.”

Naruto glanced over to Itachi only to find another set of unreadable black eyes latched on him.   Itachi and Sasuke exchanged a look that made the hairs on the back of Naruto’s neck stand up.  Then two pair of onyx eyes focused back on him.

“You know me well enough to know that I don’t waste time on things that don’t interest me, Naruto,” Itachi’s voice made Naruto break out in goosebumps.  Naruto had heard Itachi on enough business calls to know that what he said was true.  Itachi didn’t fuck around.  Naruto might not have seen Sasuke in as many situations but it was clear that the brothers were the same on that.

“Look, I mean… I don’t want to just…” he trailed off, looking first at Sasuke, then to Itachi.  “You both know how I feel about this kind of thing.”

“Exactly.  So then you understand what we’re offering,” Itachi stood and walked over to sit on the leather couch next to Naruto.  “Like I told you before, Naruto, Sasuke and I are both similar in what we admire.  What we value.  What we are attracted to.”

Naruto wasn’t sure how all of the oxygen in the room seemed to have disappeared.  Sasuke shifted so he was sitting on the coffee table directly in front of Naruto, his knees less than an inch from Naruto’s own.  The side of Itachi’s thigh brushed against Naruto’s, but otherwise there was no physical contact.

“And we aren’t good at sharing, Naruto,” Sasuke said, his voice darkening possessively.  “You’re either all in or this doesn’t work.”

Naruto met Sasuke’s hard gaze, feeling his own spark of anger even as arousal flared within him.  “Of all of us in this room right now, Sasuke, you’re the one who most needs to agree to that.”

Itachi chuckled, his voice low and deep.  “He’s got you there, little brother.  But we’ve already discussed that.  Sasuke won’t be spending any more time in the clubs.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Itachi, but simply nodded sharply.  “So we all agree.  None of us sees anyone else,” Sasuke said, shifting forward to the edge of the coffee table, more firmly into Naruto’s space.

Naruto nodded slowly, though he still felt like there was no way this was really happening.

“He still looks hesitant, Sasuke,” Itachi’s voice was low and commanding all at the same time.  “I think we need to show him.”

Sasuke smirked.   Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Itachi’s arm slide along the back of the sofa, resting close enough that Naruto could feel the heat radiating from it even though it wasn’t touching him.  Naruto had no idea how long a potential relationship with these two men would last, but - hell - it couldn’t be worse than any of the other relationships he’d tried in the past that had crashed and burned.  There were never any guarantees.  But he was sure as _fuck_ not going to say no to giving it a shot with the two people who had haunted every single one of his wet dreams and jerk-off sessions for months.

“So, uh… I mean… how is this gonna… _work_?”  Naruto’s tongue traced over his lower lip, followed by his teeth as he pulled his lip in and bit it to keep from saying something stupid.  

The way Sasuke’s and Itachi’s eyes instantly darkened showed that they understood _exactly_ what Naruto was asking.  The two brother’s exchanged another look and Sasuke leaned forward, laying his hands on Naruto’s knees just as Naruto felt Itachi’s hand slide up the back of his neck.  It was more than clear that the brothers had a very good idea of _exactly_ how this was going to all go down, had possibly even discussed it in advance, and _fuck_ if that didn’t make Naruto’s dick hard even if it also made him a little nervous.

Sasuke shifted his hands so the palms pressed against the side of Naruto’s knees, slowly forcing his legs wider apart.  There was a dark possessiveness in Sasuke’s gaze that pissed Naruto off and turned him on all at the same time but either way Naruto couldn’t drag his eyes away from Sasuke’s.  Naruto felt Itachi shift beside him as Itachi’s hand slid over Naruto’s shoulder, the warm palm and long fingers moving up to cup the nape of his neck.

“Nine months is a long time, Naruto,” Sasuke’s voice was hypnotic, his eyes level with Naruto’s as his pale hands slowly slid up the inside of Naruto’s thighs.  From the corner of his eye, Naruto could see the way Itachi was watching intently and it amplified everything that he was feeling. He wondered what Itachi thought when he watched his little brother lean forward, forcing Naruto to shift back against the sofa.  Sasuke shifted from the coffee table to the couch, sitting on Naruto’s other side, placing the blond between the two brothers.  

_Yeah, the seating thing was totally planned_ , was Naruto’s last coherent thought before Sasuke gripped Naruto by the hips, turning him slightly so his back was suddenly flush against Itachi’s chest.  Naruto felt Itachi’s lips brush against the back of his neck at the same time Sasuke leaned forward and sucked lightly at the base of Naruto’s throat.

“ _Fuck!_ ”  Naruto gasped, looking up just in time to see Sasuke look over Naruto’s shoulder at Itachi with a look of such raw, possessive lust that Naruto had to close his eyes and breathe to try to keep some sort of control.  He could feel Sasuke’s hands sliding up over the sharp cut of Naruto’s hip bones, the thumbs dipping lower and lower as Sasuke moved his hands toward the fastening of Naruto’s now unbearably tight jeans.  Naruto barely kept his hips from flexing up as heat flooded into his groin, feeling the hard warmth of Itachi’s chest pressed against his back.

Sasuke’s eyes flickered down to the obvious hard ridge in Naruto’s jeans and he smirked. Naruto’s body suddenly felt every goddamn minute of his nine months of self-imposed celibacy and he sincerely hoped he didn’t cum in his pants just from the foreplay part of the program.  Sasuke’s hand gripped Naruto through his jeans, then rolled the heel of his palm over Naruto’s balls before palming him, his pace firm and deliberate.

“Wait.  Ah, _fuck_!” Naruto gasped out, squeezing his eyes closed as he grabbed Sasuke’s wrists and pulled them away.  He could feel Itachi tensing behind him but Naruto was two seconds from losing it and needed to just focus on breathing for a moment.

“Naruto -” Sasuke’s voice sounded uncertain and it was such an uncharacteristic tone that Naruto opened his eyes to find both Itachi and Sasuke looking at him in concern.

“You don’t have to stay if you are uncomfortable,” Itachi’s voice was deep and soothing.  Sasuke shot his brother a glare but Itachi just responded more firmly.  “It is completely your choice, Naruto.”

“No, I…,” Naruto drew a deep breath.  “I just didn’t… um… I mean it’s been a really long time and I… uh… needed to dial it back a bit there for a minute.”

Sasuke’s expression went from on edge to darkly predatory and more than a little bit cocky in one second flat.

“Oh, shit,” Naruto bit out, his fingers digging into the leather of Itachi’s sofa as his whole body tensed.  He could smell the scent of Itachi’s skin, feel the heat of the hard body that had been driving him to take more cold showers than he ever had in his _life_ , all the while pinned by the gaze of the man who had made him realize he was gay in the first place.  It made him light-headed, probably due to the fact that every drop of his blood was trying to squeeze into his dick as fast as possible.

The only thing that made him feel slightly better was the way Sasuke’s pupils dilated as they ran over the length of Naruto’s body, the flush of arousal that spread across Sasuke’s cheekbones, pale hands gripping Naruto’s thighs as though to steady themselves.  Naruto wasn’t the only one who _wanted._

Naruto might have never had a three-some before but he knew how to read his partners.  He could feel the coiled tension of Itachi’s body behind him and knew the man was holding back.  Maybe Naruto wasn’t the only one unsure in this.  Of the three of them, he had no doubt that Sasuke was the most sexually experienced.

Naruto glanced over his shoulder to meet Itachi’s gaze.  “I think patience isn’t really Sasuke’s strong suit, yeah?”

Itachi held Naruto’s look for a moment, then a gleam came into the older man’s eyes.  “Then maybe we should help him learn the price for his impatience.”

Naruto didn’t need to look at Sasuke to sense the wariness that was suddenly coming from the man.  Naruto looked at Itachi for a moment, a slow conspiratorial smile forming on his lips.  “Yeah, I think maybe Sasuke’s used to getting his way on these kind of things.”

He turned to give Sasuke a lopsided grin, which turned into a low chuckle as Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him.

“Aw, come on, Sasuke.  What fun would it be if I just did what you wanted?”  Naruto asked.

Both brothers’ eyes followed Naruto as he slid off the seat to kneel between Sasuke’s legs, pushing them slowly apart, mimicking what Sasuke had done to him earlier.  

“You were about to find out before you stopped us,” Sasuke replied, trying to sound annoyed but the sharp breath he took when Naruto’s hands started sliding up Sasuke’s thighs gave him away.  As did the rather impressive tent in Sasuke’s pants.

Naruto’s grin only grew.  He was pretty sure he was going against whatever ‘program’ Itachi and Sasuke had thought was going to happen but he needed to assert a little bit of control to get his balance.  He wasn’t quite ready to take on Itachi but he’d already done this dance with Sasuke once before.  He knew he could handle him.

Naruto held Sasuke’s heated gaze before pointedly letting his gaze slide down along Sasuke’s body, pausing at the juncture of his thighs.  He could feel Sasuke’s body tense further under his scrutiny.

“Seems like you don’t mind too much,” Naruto pressed the palms of his hands over Sasuke’s hip bones, dragging his thumbs along either side of Sasuke’s clothed erection without touching it.  Sasuke’s jaw clenched and his hips flexed slightly.  Sasuke began to lean forward, likely to pull Naruto up but Itachi shifted closer, hooking his hands under Sasuke’s shoulders, restraining him from doing so.

“Let him, Otouto.”  It would be a lie to call Itachi’s words anything other than an order.

Sasuke’s eyes closed briefly and Naruto could see the way Sasuke’s cock swelled further in his pants at the dark command in Itachi’s words.  Naruto drew a shallow breath as his own wave of arousal washed through him.  His mouth felt suddenly dry as his tongue slid along his lower lip.  The sight of the two brothers together, Itachi holding Sasuke for Naruto’s pleasure, made Naruto’s hands sweat.  

“Fuck, that’s hot.”  He didn’t even realize he’d said it out loud until he heard Itachi’s low laugh, looking up to see Itachi’s eyes latched onto him.

“Do what you want, Naruto.”  There was amusement in Itachi’s voice, but his eyes were anything but casual.  Naruto wondered if Itachi somehow realized that he had needed to ease into it.  Probably.  Itachi was uncannily good at reading people.  Naruto certainly wasn’t going to complain.  

But evidently Sasuke was.

“Tch, if you’re going to do something, then do it, idiot.” Sasuke’s hands were splayed out against the leather of the sofa as he looked down Naruto between his thighs, lust and impatience written clearly in the lines of his body.

Naruto exchanged an amused glance with Itachi, then leaned forward, tracing the outline of Sasuke’s erection more firmly with his thumbs before running palm over the bulge, cupping it through Sasuke’s pants, feeling the slight motion in Sasuke’s hips as he couldn’t quite keep himself from flexing into Naruto’s touch.  

“Seems like you have something in mind, Sasuke,” Naruto taunted.  Deciding to up his game, Naruto reached up and slowly unbuttoned Sasuke’s fly and pulled the zipper down, pausing just enough to tease before slipping his hand inside and freeing Sasuke’s cock from his boxers.  The erection was angry red, already wet with precum.  

“What do you want, Sasuke?”  Naruto circled the slick head with the palm of his hand.  He slid the other hand down to slowly roll Sasuke’s balls through the fabric of his pants before getting annoyed and tugging the pants further down.

“Have you been thinking about this?” Naruto asked, licking the palm of his hand before wrapping it around Sasuke’s shaft, feeling the vibration of Sasuke’s groan through the rigid flesh held in his hand.  Naruto wasn’t sure if it was the residual alcohol or months of sexual fantasizing that seemed to have done away with his inhibitions, but he had no trouble meeting Sasuke’s heavy lidded gaze.  He continued to move his hand along Sasuke’s shaft with rough, steady strokes as he spoke.  “Do you want me to suck your cock while your brother watches us?  To fuck my mouth while Itachi holds you back?”

Sasuke let out a sound that Naruto had never heard him make before.

“Do you want to fuck my mouth while Itachi fucks _you_?”

This time, Sasuke wasn’t the only one who responded, as Itachi gritted his teeth against the sheer desire to follow through on Naruto’s suggestion.

Itachi pulled Sasuke tighter against him as Naruto grabbed Sasuke’s pants and slid them completely off.  

“Naruto, shit -” Sasuke’s words were cut short as Naruto’s mouth closed around the head of his dick, teeth scraping lightly before the hot, wet tongue swirled around it.  Sasuke could feel Itachi’s clothed erection pressing into his back, and couldn’t resist pushing back against it as Naruto began to suck him off in earnest.  

Sasuke had had threesomes before, though not often, but nothing had ever prepared him for the intensity of having both his brother and Naruto focused solely on him.   Itachi’s hands slid up under Sasuke’s shirt, his thumbs rubbing harshly over Sasuke’s nipples as Naruto’s tongue did amazing things to his cock.

“ _Nhhggh_ -” Sasuke couldn’t stop himself from thrusting up as Naruto loosened his throat muscles. He could feel Naruto’s thumbs circling the sensitive flesh of his inner thighs and Itachi’s hardness pressed against his lower back.  Naruto moved his hands downward and added more pressure, widening Sasuke’s knees as he deep throated him.  Picking up the cue, Itachi pulled tighter on Sasuke’s shoulders, forcing him to lean back further, putting him completely at their mercy.

Despite having had sex less than twelve hours before, Sasuke found himself on the edge of orgasm in an embarrassingly short amount of time.  He could barely utter out a garbled warning, and he was cumming, feeling Naruto’s mouth chasing every ripple of climax until the very last after-shock was finished.

Sasuke lay limply against his brother, trying to decide if he was more shocked, embarrassed, or annoyed by how quickly Naruto had turned the tables on him.  Itachi’s arms still held him up, his breath coming in sharp rasps.  He could still feel Itachi’s erection against him and wondered dazedly what Itachi would do now.

Naruto was wiping his mouth, his lips reddened and swollen, sheened with Sasuke’s cum.  The sight made Sasuke wish he hadn’t just cum, because holy shit, he really wanted to fuck Naruto right then.

Itachi slowly released Sasuke’s shoulders, his eyes locked on Naruto. It occurred to Sasuke that Itachi didn’t currently have the same limitation that he did.

“Well, Otouto.  That was rather fast.  But you appear to have left Naruto in… somewhat of a predicament.”

Itachi sat up, putting a little bit of space between him and Sasuke, his eyes pinned to Naruto.  Naruto shifted back on his heels, watching Itachi somewhat warily at first.

“Come here, Naruto.”  Itachi’s voice was soft, but there was no ignoring the command it contained.

Naruto slowly moved up onto the couch, his breath still coming fast, his eyes locked on Itachi.  They looked at each other for a moment before Itachi leaned forward, watching Naruto the entire time to see if he would pull away.  Naruto stayed still, his pulse picking up as he realized that Itachi was done sitting back and watching.  Itachi brushed his lips against Naruto’s sensitized ones and Naruto closed his eyes at the firm, smooth feel of them.  So many months of wondering what it would be like to kiss Itachi and now Naruto could find out.  

Itachi let their lips linger against each other for only a moment before pulling back. Waiting. He did not touch Naruto in any other way, making it clear that Naruto could end it here if he wanted to.  

Naruto didn’t want to.

Instead Naruto leaned forward, wrapping his hands around the back of Itachi’s neck, undoing the tie that held the man’s hair and pulling him into the kiss that he’d been fantasizing about since he met the man three months ago.  He heard Itachi groan slightly and realized that he could probably taste Sasuke’s cum on his tongue.

The thought turned Naruto on more than he had thought possible.  Itachi’s tongue swirled through Naruto’s mouth thoroughly, licking every corner of it before he broke their kiss to look over at his brother. “I can taste you on him.”

Sasuke slid his hand down over his still-soft dick, gripping it as he closed his eyes at his brother’s words.  “Fuck.”

Itachi knew this was probably going way too fast, but they’d all been holding back for too long.  And in the end, Naruto wasn’t the kind of man who would be convinced by just words.  Naruto didn’t believe that Itachi and Sasuke _really_ wanted him.  Itachi was more than happy to let his actions speak for him.  It had been so hard to wait until Sasuke was here.  For months he had thought about Naruto.  Wanted to show him.  

Wanted this.

He decided they could go a little bit further than he’d originally planned but he wanted to be sure.  He leaned forward, sliding his hand along Naruto’s jaw and fusing their mouths together.

“We could stop now,” Itachi murmured, unsure if it was to himself or to Naruto, but knowing he needed to make the offer.  Naruto had slept with Sasuke before, so he was clearly comfortable being physical with him.  Itachi and Naruto had never even kissed before.  If Naruto wanted to go slow, he would wait.

Naruto leaned forward, burying his face in Itachi’s hair like he’d stopped himself from doing a million times before, breathing in the clean, masculine scent of him.  Soaking in the similarities and subtle differences between the scent and feel of the two brothers.  Wanting to spend years learning every little difference.

“Fuck that,” Naruto said, tracing the back of his finger along the rigid line of Itachi’s cock.  “You don’t want to stop.  And neither do I.”  To prove it, he pulled Itachi’s hand down to where his own aching erection was pushing against his jeans.

Itachi narrowed his eyes, but the muscle twitching in his jaw belied his control. Itachi always, _always_ was in control.  And Naruto didn’t want him to be.  Not when everything in Naruto’s life had been turned on its head that evening.  Naruto decided it was only fair that Itachi should feel the same.

Naruto leaned into Itachi, trailing his slightly chapped lips along Itachi’s jawline, sliding his hands up Itachi’s biceps and gripping tight.  He could feel Itachi’s pulse picking up to a pounding pace, but it wasn’t quite enough.  He kissed Itachi demandingly, feeling Itachi’s resolve waver as he felt the older man’s hands slowly brush down his back, tracing over the dip of Naruto’s waist and hips.  Itachi’s hands closed over the rounded curve of Naruto’s tightly muscled ass, the man groaning at the feel of it.

Naruto’s lips curved into a smile against Itachi’s.  “I knew you were checking my ass out in the gym.”

Itachi’s hands tightened around the muscled globes, pulling Naruto firmly into his lap. “You have no idea.  And I wasn’t the only one looking.”

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed dangerously at the words, but Naruto just laughed.

“Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure most people were looking at _you_ , not me,” Naruto said, moving his lips back down along Itachi’s jaw.

Itachi and Sasuke exchanged a look.  “No.  But after this, I will be… more direct in letting them know you are off limits,” Itachi said darkly.  

Naruto shifted forward, rocking his hips against the hard ridge of Itachi’s erection.

“Yeah?” Naruto breathed out, looking down fiercely into Itachi’s face.  “I think Sasuke and I feel pretty much the same about you.”

“Definitely,” Sasuke pulled off his shirt and came up behind Naruto, settling his hands into the dip of Naruto’s waist.

Naruto reached for the fastenings of Itachi’s pants, pausing when Itachi’s hands closed around his wrists.

“Naruto.  We don’t have to tonight.  I know you weren’t prepared for this.”

Naruto rolled his hips and Itachi briefly closed his eyes, drawing in a hiss.  Naruto had made most of the major decisions in his life based on emotion, not weeks of logically going over facts.  Emotionally - Naruto was already all in with whatever this relationship was going to be.  His decision was made.  He wanted to try this and see if they could figure out a way to make it work.  All that ‘waiting’ at this point would achieve would be to give him a potentially fatal case of blue balls.

“I haven’t had sex in nine months, Itachi.  Don’t make me fucking _wait_.”

In response, Itachi’s hands moved to the fastening of Naruto’s jeans, a flick of his thumb releasing the button an instant before his nimble fingers pulled the zipper down as Sasuke grabbed Naruto’s shirt and pulled it off him in one fluid motion.  Naruto sucked in a breath at the thought of the two brothers undressing him, but he didn’t let it overwhelm him this time.  Instead, his hands continued their work undoing fastenings of Itachi’s pants, slipping inside his boxers, and pulling him out.

“Naruto,” Itachi groaned.

Naruto stood to quickly kick off his pants as Itachi slid his off as well, leaving all three men finally without clothes.  Itachi’s gaze raked over Naruto’s form, taking in every defined muscle of the tan body he’d held himself back from for months.  

“I told you, Itachi,” Sasuke’s voice was husky, his eyes following the same path his brother’s did over Naruto’s perfectly toned and sculpted body.

“Yes.  You did.”  Itachi replied, leaning forward and grabbing Naruto by the hips drawing him back down so he was straddling him on the couch.

Naruto shivered at the feel of Itachi’s erection brushing against his ass, but frowned at the words, glancing between the two brothers.  “What did you tell him?”

Sasuke just smirked.

Itachi threaded his fingers into Naruto’s hair, pulling him down and kissing him with hot, wet licks of his tongue.   Naruto was vaguely aware of Sasuke getting something from the drawer of the end table near the sofa but he couldn’t think much beyond the feel of Itachi’s mouth on his, and the utter command it seemed to hold over him.

Naruto felt a hand smooth down the muscles of his back, lips tracing over his shoulder blades.  He didn’t need to look back to know it was Sasuke and he felt himself go a little bit crazy at knowing that _both_ of these men were _his._

“God, Itachi, hurry up.  We can go slow later just…,” Naruto was rolling his hips against Itachi’s, but it was nowhere near enough.

“Now who’s being impatient?”  Sasuke murmured against Naruto’s skin.

“Fuck you,” Naruto panted out, grabbing the lube he saw held loosely in Sasuke’s hand.  

“Soon enough,” Sasuke replied darkly, watching with rapt attention as Naruto squeezed lube on his fingers and began to roughly prepare himself.  Sasuke grabbed the lube back, squirting some on his own fingers before pulling Naruto’s hand out and sliding two of his own digits in.

“Oh, god, Sasuke,” Naruto was panting, his voice low and rough.  “Itachi… hurry up.”

Sasuke grabbed Itachi’s hand, pulling it down to where two of his fingers were already stretching Naruto.

“Fuck,” Itachi gritted out as he slid a finger in alongside Sasuke’s.  It felt amazing.  Naruto was so tight. Too tight.

“You’re not ready yet.  It will hurt if we -” Itachi began, wondering why it was so fucking _hot_ to feel his fingers sliding against his brother’s as they fucked Naruto with them together.

He had planned to go slowly, given how long it had been since Naruto had last had sex.  He had been determined to take his time when it finally happened.

But as usual, Naruto didn’t do things according to the plan.

“How does it feel, Itachi...,” Naruto leaned forward to whisper low in Itachi’s ear, the heat of his breath nearly distracting Sasuke from the words themselves.  “How does it feel to know the only person who’s fucked me before was your brother?”

Two deep baritone voices growled at Naruto’s words.  A motion out of the corner of Itachi’s eye revealed Sasuke, his free hand pumping up and down his already hardened shaft as he watched with fixed attention, his eyes feverish with lust and possessiveness.  Any restraint Itachi had been trying to hold onto evaporated.  He gripped Naruto’s hips harshly, lining up his cock with the entrance Sasuke had helped prepare. He slowly drove in as Naruto sank down on him, both forgetting about the condoms that were laying within easy reach of the couch.  All three men groaned.

Itachi could feel Naruto clenching around him, so tight it was almost painful.  His body strained to keep from pulling out and slamming back in right away.  Naruto might not care if he got hurt, but Itachi did.  

Naruto undulated his hips and Itachi grabbed his thighs to hold him still.  “Wait.  Just...  just wait.  I don’t want to hurt you. You’re so… fuck so _tight_.”

Naruto shuddered, bracing his hands on Itachi’s shoulders to get enough leverage to move things along himself.  He felt another pair of arms slide over his shoulders, holding him steady and stopping his movements.

“Listen to Itachi, Naruto,” Sasuke’s voice was low and thick with desire.  “We’ve got a long night ahead of us.  We don’t want to hurt you.”

Naruto turned to look into Sasuke’s eyes, feeling the weight of the words and knowing he meant more than just the physical.  But his brain wasn’t able to hold the thought as two pairs of lips began to move over his body.  Sasuke’s starting at his mouth, then moving to his cheek.  Itachi’s along his throat.  Naruto couldn’t do anything other than groan and arch up as Itachi began to slowly move, thrusting up into him.

Naruto felt his fingers digging into Itachi’s biceps, desperate for something to hold onto.

“Ahh… shit!”

The lips left him briefly and he opened his eyes to see Itachi and Sasuke kissing, Itachi still buried deep inside him.  Sasuke’s hands moved over Naruto’s nipples while the brothers continued to kiss.

Then Sasuke was kneeling down, kissing Naruto while Itachi nuzzled Naruto’s throat, gripping Naruto’s hips as he thrust up harder and harder.  Naruto knew he wasn’t going to last much longer, his mind too shattered to even think of trying to maintain his usual control as his body moved in time with Itachi’s thrusts.  Naruto’s thighs gripped tighter as he rode Itachi, setting a faster pace than Itachi had started.  Itachi’s eyes squeezed shut, his last shred of control snapping.

“You win,” Itachi growled.

Naruto barely had time to register that Itachi was shifting his grip before he found himself flat on his back, his legs gripped tightly in Itachi’s long fingers pressed Naruto’s knees back almost to his shoulders.

Itachi’s rhythm was brutal and out-of-control and exactly what Naruto had wanted.  Naruto used his stomach muscles to lift his hips, flexing in time with Itachi’s harsh thrusts, reveling in every harsh slap their bodies made, wanting to take Itachi even deeper even though it wasn’t possible.  Itachi arched back, putting more power into this thrusts as Sasuke leaned down to kiss Naruto fully.  

Itachi grabbed Sasuke by the back of his hair, jerking him off Naruto’s mouth and kissing Sasuke harshly before diving down and claiming Naruto’s mouth for his own.

The raw aggression of it had Naruto cumming, he didn’t know if he screamed or if his throat simply seized as wave after wave of pleasure crashed through him.  He felt Itachi stiffen above him, his mouth swallowing whatever words the man might have said.

Naruto wasn’t sure if he actually had passed out or if his brain had just momentarily shut down, but he felt dazed and boneless when he finally came to his senses.  He didn’t think he could get up off that couch if the apartment was on fire.  Itachi’s head was buried in Naruto’s neck, clearly feeling the same sated lethargy.  Naruto lolled his head to the side to look at Sasuke, who was sitting on the floor next to them.  Sasuke reached over for the box of tissues that were on the end table, the back of his hand covered in his own cum evidently from just watching Itachi and Naruto finish.  

“So that was…,” Naruto wasn’t exactly sure there was a word in existence to describe what had just happened.

Itachi stirred, placing a kiss on the base of Naruto’s jaw before levering himself up.  He watched as Sasuke wiped himself off.

“My shower happens to have space for three,” Itachi said, looking down at Naruto.

“Tch,” Sasuke stretched, tossing the box of tissues to his brother.  “Don’t think I didn’t notice your bed either.  You were pretty sure this was all going to work out, weren’t you.”

Itachi took the tissues, carefully withdrawing from Naruto, watching his face intently enough to catch the wince and brushing an apologetic kiss to Naruto’s brow.

“We should have gone slowly,” Itachi murmured.

Naruto glared up at him before twining his fingers into Itachi’s hair and pulling him down into an open-mouthed kiss.

“No.  We should have figured our shit out a month or two ago and been doing this since then.”

Sasuke snickered as he picked up their discarded clothing.  He turned and offered a hand to Naruto to help pull him off the couch and into a deep, harsh kiss.

“Let’s go get cleaned up.  We’ll see if my brother’s shower is really as great as he says it is.”

Naruto woke up in Itachi’s bed for the second time in under twenty-four hours.  But this time, he wasn’t alone.  He turned to his right to see Sasuke sleeping next to him.  His mind went back to the last time he’d seen Sasuke sleeping, remembering how hard it had been to walk away from that hotel room.  This time… he didn’t have to.

Naruto felt the body on his left shift, and he turned to see Itachi looking over at him.

“How are you feeling?”  Itachi asked, his voice carefully neutral.

Naruto pushed his fingers through his hair, giving a slightly awkward smile. “A little hung over.  And I really could use a toothbrush.”

Sasuke stirred, blinking up to look over at them.  “Do you need some Tylenol?”

Naruto couldn’t help the blush that crept along his cheeks at the memories of exactly why he might need some.  “I think I’ve had enough shit in my system for one night.  You?”

Sasuke arched a brow, but smirked slightly as he lay back on the pillows.  “Maybe.”

“Any regrets?”  Itachi’s query was carefully casual.

Naruto looked over to the older man, acutely aware of the intensity of both brothers’ gaze fixed on him.  

“I guess that depends if you’re going to kick me out now and never talk to me again, I suppose.”  Naruto tried to laugh and play it off as a joke, but it was definitely something he had considered as a very real possibility when he woke up this morning.  Things like this just… didn’t _happen._ Especially not to him.

Itachi and Sasuke looked at each other for a moment, then Itachi slid his hand along Naruto’s jaw, his thumb gently brushing over Naruto’s cheek.

“I wonder what will happen if you ever become aware of just how attractive you really are,” Itachi’s breath brushed against the hairs on the side of Naruto’s neck.

Sasuke threw off the covers, his gaze darkening as it slid along Naruto’s body.  “He’ll be unbearable,” Sasuke murmured before standing up and heading to the closet to find something to wear.  “But at least maybe he’ll be less oblivious.”

“Asshole,” Naruto grumbled, but he felt some of his anxiety fade at the clear evidence that this… thing between them had at least lasted through the night.  “I’m starving.”

Sasuke snorted, pulling on a pair of boxers.  “I’ll make breakfast.  

Naruto blinked at how… normal this felt.  “So, you’re really moving to L.A.?”  he asked Sasuke, wincing slightly as he sat up and made his way to the edge of the bed.

Sasuke pulled on a loose, black t-shirt.  “Yeah.  My lease in New York ends this month.”

Naruto glanced over at Itachi, who was pulling on a black bathrobe. 

“Sasuke will be moving in here,” Itachi said, looking over at Naruto consideringly as he handed him a clean pair of sweat pants.  “You’re welcome to as well.”

Naruto froze then laughed nervously.  He was not ready to give up his own place yet. “Well… my lease is still good for another six months.  Maybe… let’s just see how this all goes.  None of us has exactly the best track record for relationships.”

Sasuke and Itachi exchanged an unreadable glance and Naruto could tell they weren’t thrilled.

“In six months, then,” Sasuke said finally before heading to the kitchen.

Itachi looked at Naruto for a moment.  “We’ll discuss this further over breakfast.”

Naruto had to fight back a smirk.  Yet another of Itachi’s plans that he’d managed to throw off.  He pulled on the borrowed clothing, deciding that maybe he was good for the brothers after all.  They needed a bit of unpredictability in their lives.

And he was just the man to give it to them.

**The End.**

Maybe.

I’ve had a few requests for ‘extra scenes’ that show their relationship as it progresses – like:

  * Naruto and Sasuke get in a fight and Itachi intervenes
  * Naruto introduces Sasuke and Itachi to Gaara
  * One of Naruto’s clients is really putting the moves on him
  * Idk some others.



Not promising anything, but I am thinking about it.  Are there things in particular that you’d like to see (please don’t request sex positions… I can’t write with a specific thing like that in mind)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is REALLY hard to write sex with three people because I wanted to show a bit of what each of them is feeling and it gets really annoying to read as you shift between POVs and I am so sorry but they don't know each other well enough to 'read each other's minds so... anyway. It is not the best but I really wanted to show what they were all thinking since PWP is boring. LOL


End file.
